Modern Warfare 2 Sells 1.23 Million Day One Copies In UK Alone

Activision and Infinity Ward's anticipated shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has sold an "astonishing" 1.23 million units in its first day of sales in the UK alone, Chart-Track and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association said Wednesday. The game launched on November 10. With over a million units sold in the country, Modern Warfare 2, the proper sequel to the 2007 hit Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, grossed around £47 million ($77.85 million) on its opening day in the UK. UK tracking firm Chart-Track's figures show that the sales double the previous UK day-one record, set by Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV, which saw sales of 631,000 units and £27.2 million gross on its first day of release in April 2008. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said Modern Warfare 2 could top $500 million in worldwide sales in its first week, and "easily" sell over 10 million units in its opening quarter. Publisher Activision expects it to be its biggest game of the year. Infinity Ward's previous game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, launched in 2007, has sold over 13 million units worldwide to date. The latest installment in the military-themed series is garnering high review scores, averaging a 96 percent on Metacritic. Michael Rowlinson, director general of the ELSPA, said of the mature-rated game, "These first day sales figures are astonishing and clear evidence that videogames are now mainstream in the UK. Our form of interactive entertainment has completely come of age."