Another Call of Duty release, another record-setting launch. Within 24 hours of being released, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sold over 6.5 million copies in the U.S. and U.K alone. Activision reports that the game generated $400 million in revenue, which topped its predecessors handily: Black Ops' generated $360 million in 2010 and Modern Warfare 2 made $310 million in 2009.
Dubbed "the biggest entertainment launch ever,” Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said that "Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time." Microsoft also reported a record amount of users on Xbox Live after Modern Warfare 3 was launched.
The overflow of users playing the game caused problems for Activision’s Call of Duty Elite service, suffering from long periods of downtime. In response, Activision announced on the service’s website that all Premium Elite users will receive an extra 30 days of service at no cost. Activision also ensured players that their stats are safely stored and have not been affected by the frequent downtime. Servers are being added to support the load.
