Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Confirmed by Guinness as Biggest Entertainment Launch

Activision's Modern Warfare 2 has already sold over 14 million units and surpassed $1 billion in revenues. After the first 24 hours on the market, Activision quickly asserted that the game had set a new all-time entertainment launch record, surpassing Grand Theft Auto IV and all other media launches. Today, Guinness World Records finally backed up the publisher's claim, noting that Modern Warfare 2 was indeed "the most successful entertainment launch of all time when it released on November 10th, 2009." Guinness said it verified one-day sales totaling more than $401.6 million worldwide.

Guinness pointed out that the game's launch record "shatters" previous records set by box office, book and album sales, and of course previous video game launches like Grand Theft Auto IV, which grossed $310 million in its first day on sale in 2008, and the previous record-holder, Halo 3, which generated $170 million during its first 24 hours. Prices for books, movie tickets and music albums are much cheaper than most video games, but Modern Warfare 2's record is impressive nonetheless.

"Video game releases such as the Call of Duty series have outperformed the launches of major Hollywood blockbusters for several years and the day-one sales for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 proved once again that video games have become cultural events in their own right," said Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition Editor, Gaz Deaves. "The fan movement and hype surrounding this game in the run-up to launch was almost unprecedented in scale; we acknowledged early on that the big question wasn't if it would break all-time entertainment records, but rather by how much."

"This achievement is a reflection of the support from our community of fans around the world," said Creative Strategist, Robert Bowling from developer Infinity Ward.  "The Call of Duty series and Modern Warfare have been our passion - we've dedicated our lives to giving our best, so it's an honour to be recognized by setting a new standard among all entertainment properties."