The sixth game in the ‘Call of Duty’ series has surpassed all expectations, with first-day sales exceeding 1 million in the UK alone. So what’s the appeal?
IT WAS ONE of the most hotly anticipated games releases of the year. Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (CoD:MWII)looks set to take its place in the record books as one of the biggest game launches to date. Shops opened at midnight, and fans queued outside to make sure they got a copy, with some even appearing in costume. In Belfast, people queued up outside shops from 8.15am the day before to be sure they secured their limited-edition copy of CoD:MWII.
Pre-orders for the game stretched into the thousands, with HMV anticipating CoD:MWIIwould break records and become the first game to sell more than 1 million units in its first week in the UK and Ireland. It costs from €45 to €60, depending on the format.
So far, the game appears to have lived up to its promise, despite the recession. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers' Association (Elspa) says first-day sales in the UK alone reached an estimated 1.23 million units. By comparison, the previous record holder, Grand Theft Auto IV, sold an estimated 631,000 units on the day it was released on April 29th, 2008. The game shifted 800,000 copies in its first week in the UK, a target CoD:MWIIhas already exceeded. "These first-day sales figures are astonishing and clear evidence that video games are now mainstream in the UK. Our form of interactive entertainment has completely come of age," says Michael Rawlinson, director general of Elspa.
The Call of Dutyfranchise has been going since 2003: Modern Warfare 2is the sixth title in the series, and places gamers in a military squad trying to track down a terrorist, with the game travelling to countries such as Russia and Brazil. "Interest has been building from 12 months ago," says Michael Finucane, commercial director of GameStop. "It's the biggest game I've witnessed in 15 years." Critics have given it a thumbs-up, with the rating on metacritic.com averaging 96 per cent. Gennaro Castaldo of HMV says CoD:MWIIraises the bar for all games, both for demand from gamers and for its "technical brilliance".
CoD:MWIIalso includes a growing element of gaming – online play has become a major draw for the industry. Once a staple of PC games, consoles have got in on the act with Xbox launching its Live online platform in 2002, and Sony's PlayStation Network starting in 2006. Xbox Live now has 20 million players; Sony is believed to have around 29 million. "The quality of the gameplay is excellent," says Finucane. "The online version adds to the whole gameplay and longevity of the game."
The hype was helped by rumours of delays, and teaser videos unveiled earlier in the year. It was partly this that attracted Today FM DJ Ray Foley to the game. “I’m one of those who gets sucked into the hype. I love gaming. I’ve always liked CoD games anyway; I bought it to see what the fuss was about,” he says. Despite the reportedly graphic content, the game has escaped much of the criticism that usually accompanies such releases. However, it has caused some controversy, and has come under fire from concerned British politicians.
One part of the game allowed players to control a CIA agent undercover with terrorists who attack innocent civilians in an airport. The level of violence in the game has meant it was given an 18s rating in Ireland, with voluntary games rating system PEGI giving it an M, or Mature, tag.
Later this month, GameStop is to host what it hopes will be the world's largest Modern Warfare 2online tournament. From next Friday, Irish fans will be able to play in teams of four on either Xbox or PS3 consoles with the Guinness Book of Recordsrecording participation and attendance.
