CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3 BREAKS RECORDS, EARNS $400 MILLION IN 24 HOURS

Activision Publishing announced on Friday that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which exploded onto store shelves this past Wednesday, has set an all-time sales record with an estimated 6.5 million copies sold in North America and the United Kingdom alone. It also registered more than $400 million in sales. This is the third consecutive day-one launch record for the company, following the releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops ($360 million) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ($310 million).

ACTIVISION LAUNCHING SOCIAL NETWORK GAMING EXPERIENCE - CALL OF DUTY ELITE

Activision on Tuesday announced Call of Duty Elite, a new social network-style experience that will allow Call of Duty players to interact with one another in an entirely different way. The social network has three pillars: connect, compete, and improve.

“Connect” will allow users to compete against friends, join groups, find players with similar interests, and enter tournaments. Activision will provide both web and mobile interfaces for managing your Call of Duty information from multiple devices.

“Compete” will allow players to enter events and competitions with other players that have similar abilities, and Activision promises real world and in-game prizes.

“Improve,” will provide users with a strategy guide to help them bump their gaming skills by following their performance and ongoing statistics.

“The average Call of Duty player spends 58 minutes per day playing multiplayer,” Activision Publishing CEO, Eric Hirshberg, said. “That is more than the average Facebook user spends per day on Facebook. And yet, right now, there are very few tools to unite and super charge that social community. Whether it’s allowing you to connect with your friends, or people of a similar skill level, people who live in your city, people who share your favorite passions, join competitive clans or social groups, or upload, view and comment on the incredible mass of player-generated content, or watch and comment on exclusive created content, Call of Duty Elite will give people more ways to connect with fellow players than ever before.”

Most features will be free, although a premium package will also be available. The service will enter public beta with Call of Duty: Black Ops this summer and will launch on November 8th with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS BREAKS FIRST DAY SALES RECORD

When Activision released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last year, it set an all time record for launch day sales. The highly anticipated first person shooter sold 4.7 million copies in its first day of availability, amounting to $310 million in sales. Earlier this week, Activision released the latest title in the Call of Duty franchise and the gaming behemoth somehow managed to best itself. On launch day alone, 5.6 million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops were sold in the U.S. and U.K., amounting to $360 million in retail sales. Activision said it was also on pace to break the $550 million five-day sales record it set last year with Modern Warfare 2. “The game’s success underscores the pop culture appeal of the brand,” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “Call of Duty: Black Ops is the finest game that Treyarch has ever made and raises the bar for online gameplay by delivering the deepest and most intense Call of Duty experience yet.” [BGR]