Game: Modern Warfare 3 our most pre-ordered game ever

By Robert Purchese Published 8 November, 2011

Updated with Amazon response.

Update: Amazon has responded to Eurogamer. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is officially the most pre-ordered game ever at Amazon.

The huge online shop received 32 per cent more pre-orders for Modern Warfare 3 than for Black Ops, the previous record holder.

Original story: Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 be the best-selling video game ever?

Pre-order levels at Game and Gamestation point to yes.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the most popular game for pre-orders that Game and Gamestation have ever seen," Game spokesperson Anne-Marie Mason told Eurogamer.

"Beating records set by last year's number one game, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is now Game Group's largest pre-order title in the company's history."

In the UK, Call of Duty: Black Ops became the fastest ever selling video game by shifting 1.4 million copies in one day. Black Ops went on to overtake Modern Warfare 2 as the UK's best ever selling video game, with 3,722,411 sales.

In March this year, number-cruncher NPD said Call of Duty: Black Ops had become best ever selling video game in the US.

But HMV revealed to Eurogamer less convincing evidence that Modern Warfare 3 will rewrite the record books.

"We've seen pretty decent pre-order levels," said an HMV spokesperson, "but we feel most of the interest will be driven by over the counter purchasing, particularly now that we're into the early stages of Christmas shopping."

GameStop UK couldn't comment on Modern Warfare 3 pre-order levels.

Since record breaker Call of Duty: World at War, each subsequent Call of Duty game - Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops - has set a new worldwide sales record. And with a larger console installed base to sell to each year, it's tempting to believe Modern Warfare 3 will continue that trend.

There is, however, competition this year, from EA and Battlefield 3. But what effect this will have, if any, on Call of Duty-mania we're yet to see. Expect Modern Warfare 3 sales figures this week from Activision, if they're extraordinary enough.

Modern Warfare 3 launches tonight, at midnight.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 7 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • higganos #1 7 months ago

    And once again EG runs a story which literally blows my socks off with sublime surprise.

    /Not really.
    Edited by higganos at 07/11/11 @ 17:17

  • BuffoonBassoon #2 7 months ago

    not surprised

  • jablonski #3 7 months ago

    Certainly earning your (dirty) money today EG!

  • HeNiCiDe1988 #4 7 months ago

    Played both BF3 and MW3 at Gamefest and both where really great fun, even if its the same old engine the gameplay was still really fun unless its dramatically different when I play it both BF3 and it are worthwhile purchases imho for great multiplayer definitely not for story (same old americano propaganda).

  • simsini #5 7 months ago

    Who are these idiots pre-ordering at Game? They are always the most expensive retailer on the High Street. Pure stupidity!

  • arcam #6 7 months ago

    In the scheme of things, GAME and HMV don't matter. It's the USA that will decide if this is the best-selling game ever, and all signs point to YES.

  • joeymoto108 #7 7 months ago

    The biggest question of all is...
    WHY RELEASE IT ON A FRICKIN' TUESDAY?!

  • smugla #8 7 months ago

    @joeymoto108

    SO WE GET IT ON THE SAME DAY AS THE AMERICANS FOR ONCE

  • theguy #9 7 months ago

    So its released worldwide on the same day

  • riceNpea #10 7 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:51:34 12-12-2011

  • Syrette #11 7 months ago

    Sigh.

    That's all I have to say on the matter ^

  • NunianVonFuch #12 7 months ago

    Seeing as it's the same thing again I'm genuinely curious to see if it sells more again than Black Ops. I know the larger install base will be on their side but personally I'm fed up with the series. The multiplayer peaked with MW2 I just couldn't play Black Ops for very long at all.

  • Yeoung #13 7 months ago

    Both saddening and unsurprising. Take into account that ideas pitched to the majority of publishers are now about questions such as; how will you achieve such sales figures, rather than how will your software elevate the medium as a whole or how will you IP innovate/revolutionize an industry that's growing evermore hollywood'esque.

    It's a sad, sad thing indeed. Marketing is taking the mallet of consumerism to the glass house of artistry, seeing not what it pounds as the eyes are made up of dollar signs.

  • TazerFan #14 7 months ago

    @Yeoung

    Um, I'm pretty sure videogames have been designed to earn money for their publisher since the dawn of time.

    The "things used to be better than they are" revisionism is tiresome.

  • ballshock #15 7 months ago

    People pre ordered at game cause amazon and other sites ran out of stock.
    And ofcourse usually game send the game one day early(not this time though)

  • weebl #16 7 months ago

    @Yeoung "Marketing is taking the mallet of consumerism to the glass house of artistry, seeing not what it pounds as the eyes are made up of dollar signs."

    Two things: the game is likely to be fun to play online and nobody ever makes this statement about Rockstar, who throw morals out of the window for sensationalism in order to shift sales of the game to minors.

  • Yeoung #17 7 months ago

    @TazerFan I reject your premise. Games, and subsequently videogames, have been designed to entertain since the dawn of time. Their basic purpose is to entertain, not to generate profit. You standpoint is typical for someone who plays games, yet knows little about them. Do you think Senet turned a profit? Have you any idea how videogames came to be in the first place? No sir, evidently you do not.

    There is an immeasurable difference between goal and driving force. The industry itself is moving towards checklist design, as such is rewarded by people who advocate "dynamic lighting effects" as the next step in gaming.

    Revisionism may be tiresome, but a critical reassesment of purpose and direction is necessary every now and then. Stagnation is imminent in large industries, especially when a proven format generates noticable revenue in relatively quick succession.

  • George-Roper #18 7 months ago

    @Yeoung

    I reject your premise. Games, and subsequently videogames, have been designed to entertain since the dawn of time.

    If you really don't think that the games industry is in it for profit then you need to go and get a dose of reality, pal.

    It's all business. It's all it's ever been. Right from the start.

    They do not give one shit whether you're 'entertained' or not. It's all about shifting units. AVP2010 is a classic example of this. It had a shit-ton of expensive-looking, glossy marketing which went on to make it one of the best selling games of the year but sales subsequently nose-dived when reviews went public and people started to play it.

    That's all these businesses want and they are businesses. Shift units, recoup costs with a nice slice of profit on top, move onto the next game.

  • Yeoung #19 7 months ago

    @George-Roper: What a bitter and jaded perspective.

    The games industry is not a single money-driven entity. There are devs still trying to provide gamers with new and exciting experiences. There are even larger coorporations dedicated to bringing tools to devs which in turn brings games to consumer.

    The Unity engine and methodology is a good example of that. The industry does not exclusively revolve around AAA devs and marketing ploys.

    Also, "from the start" was a guy messing around with an oscilloscope, turned it into a tennis game, which he then distributed for free as open source, motivating others to tweak, redesign and extrapolate on his concept.

    I'm not saying the business should be about free stuff, hugs and sunshine, I'm just saying that you come to a point where the "proven format" is damaging the industry on a long term basis, and it might be time to reevaluate and take a different path.

  • George-Roper #20 7 months ago

    @Yeoung

    Bitter and jaded? No, just realistic.

    Would I prefer that we were in a hobby where all the developers and publishers were consistently giving us original, thoughtful games? Absolutely.

    But apart from the newly reintroduced 'indie' scene, which is by and large very much the exception and not the rule, its not going to happen.

  • Ultraman1966 #21 7 months ago

    It just goes to show that numpties out there will buy the same recycle crap over and over. And whilst they're at it, new Game engine please, tired of seeing the same old rubbish!

  • lockload #22 7 months ago

    Woot another article to fill the front page with about MW3, same with Deus Ex and BAtman when they cam eout

  • geox30 #23 7 months ago

    The human race is so hard to understand..

  • Hermiod #24 7 months ago

    Yeah, so heavily pre-ordered that my copy hasn't turned up. Well done, Amazon, well done.

  • RichieJohn #25 7 months ago

    God people are dull

  • rob_of_the_robots #26 7 months ago

    "Rockstar, who throw morals out of the window for sensationalism in order to shift sales of the game to minors."

    No Russian?

  • Pulsar_t #27 7 months ago

    Sad.

  • kosigan #28 7 months ago

    Once again, the game buying public demonstrate to the games publishers that what they want is more of the same, every year. This leaves no room for anyone to complain about the lack of originality in games: sequels sell, therefore, you can expect to get more sequels.

  • weebl #29 7 months ago

    @rob_of_the_robots

    Perhaps yes, but it did build the story. Killing hookers after sex on the other hand?

  • Trigg3rHippie #30 7 months ago

    Yeah, whatever...