COD4 has 11m Live, 4m PSN players

By Oli Welsh Published 12 March, 2009

Two-thirds of XBL users played it.

Call of Duty 4 has racked up 11 million unique players since launch on Xbox Live, and over 4 million on PlayStation Network, according to Infinity Ward's Rob Bowling.

Bowling revealed the sensational figures when accepting one of COD 4: Modern Warfare's three BAFTAs in London on Tuesday night.

"I'm delighted that we just reached 11 million unique players on Xbox Live and we've got over 4 million on PSN," Bowling said, according to eyewitnesses (who'd had a bit to drink so don't blame us if the wording isn't exact).

We've confirmed with Activision that the figures relate to COD 4 alone, not the entire Call of Duty franchise.

According to Microsoft, Xbox Live has 17 million users overall, meaning two-thirds of them have played Infinity Ward's first-person shooter. The figures track all players, not just those who've played online multiplayer (necessarily so, since the word is that only 9.5 million people pay for Xbox Live Gold).

Add the untold number of players out there who haven't connected their 360s to the internet, and you get a sense of the true scale of Infinity Ward's success - and that's not even counting PC and PS3 players. As a comparison, MMO king and Activision Blizzard stablemate World of Warcraft has 11 million players worldwide (although, unlike the COD figure, these are all currently active).

Infinity Ward is currently working on a Modern Warfare sequel, due for release at the end of this year.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 7 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • miiiguel #1 3 years ago

    I have Live Gold and I've never played CoD4 MP. Did play the story mode twice though.

  • mashk #2 3 years ago

    Best game on LIVE. Just gone back to it, after a stint on WAW.

  • MatteG #3 3 years ago

    COD 4 is popular......go figure

  • Aretak #4 3 years ago

    /proud to be one of the other third

  • Slabbathepave #5 3 years ago

    And because of all those big shiny numbers expect the mp in the next Modern Warfare to be drip fed to you and for a price. You are all now a viable source of income.

    I'll bet my attractively haired scrotum that Activision milk this sucker for all its worth.

  • JahB #6 3 years ago

    I'll bet my attractively haired scrotum that Activision milk this sucker for all its worth.

    they already are. one game a year is very much akin to EA's Madden/Fifa business model, and look where that went. massive sales, really low quality.

    i know infinity ward are an awesome developer, but a 2-year devcycle is very short even for the best

  • bluem4gic #7 3 years ago

    10 million of those players are in North America

    COD 4 PC for me these days. Sick of paying for a gold account I no longer use

    Best Shooter in years and I am sure that MW2 will do well too.

    Here's hoping that Activision don't force another shitty Treyarch sequel out the bag next chrstmas

    COD4 is good because Infinity Ward didn't rush out the game. Four years from conception to completion

    Learn your lesson
    Edited by 1 at 12/03/09 @ 14:56

  • BadBoyBonner #8 3 years ago

    Well the thing is - CoD 4 being such a huge success on Live wasn't a given - but it is now. WAW seems to be doing very well too.

    So probably the biggest problem for MW2 is the previous franchise entries. Each subsequent release is hopefully cannibalising it's own market - but there will surely be those that stay with MW WAW?

    The COD's controls and 60fps hallmarks are a console golden Standard in My book - anything less feels substandard.

  • bluem4gic #9 3 years ago

    @JahB

    Don't worry, now that the tech is up. ie game engine. Infinity Ward can focus completely on game content this time round. Two years is more than enough for that.

    I hate to say it but IW have always delivered on each game they have made

    COD 1, COD1 UO, COD 2 and COD4:MW

    Heck, some of their team were originally responsible for the awesome Medal of Honor: Allied Assualt

  • bluem4gic #10 3 years ago

    30 FPS on consoles remember that :p

  • andijames #11 3 years ago

    @bluem4gic

    Agree with you there mate 4 years dev cycle produced an excellent game and wasn't rushed. Maybe they can trim that down now though as with MW they had to build all assets from scratch whereas with this version they may be able to recycle some of it, improve it, and use it instead of starting from the beginning.

    Here's to hoping MW2 is just as good if not better than it's brother.

  • Widge #12 3 years ago

    @miiiguel

    wonder if it registers you as a live user simply by booting up the game and being online?

  • rashes #13 3 years ago

    bring on the WAW map pack ... when is that happening?

  • Whatsfor #14 3 years ago

    gdeagle, by that logic I am in the top 2%. Although thats still not as good as my friend who is ranked number 10 by score.

  • ronuds #15 3 years ago

    IW is less friendly than Trey, though. Trey has released free maps for both COD3 and now COD: WAW. IW didn't do the same and they therefore suck.

  • miiiguel #16 3 years ago

    @ Widge:
    I'm sure it does it that way. They must use the same method as 360voice.com which works like that. For example if I boot my 360 with GTA inside and ended up not playing it at all and play Halo Wars instead, 360voice will record that day as I played Halo Wars and GTA.

  • Bursiene #17 3 years ago

    Wish they had bought out more multiplayer map packs. Check out my mate on youtube got to be one of the best snipers you'll ever see!

    [link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=7REiXEUid0o
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=7REiXEUid0o
    [/link]

  • Olemak #18 3 years ago

    COD Modern Warfare II will be the first game to truly test my resolve on my semi-boycot of Activision games. Activision are becoming the best example of everything that is wrong with the games industry, so I try not to encourage their business model. It really isnt all that hard, as most of their games are crap uninteresting anyway. But Modern Warfare II will be hard to steer clear of.

    Maybe my semi-boycot should only apply to crap games, then. Yeah, that will work... Cant think of any other must-buy games from Activision this year, so that should work out fine.

  • Fab4 #19 3 years ago

    Popular because they made it easy to play. Please, for the love of whatever god you believe in IW, drop the perks for the next one. And try some development on the networking side...oh I don't know, lets say actual host migration? or not making the single american in the lobby the host?

  • Xerx3s #20 3 years ago

    "I have Live Gold and I've never played CoD4 MP. Did play the story mode twice though. "

    Funny. I've got live gold but I've never played the sp. I'm on MP pretty often though.

  • miiiguel #21 3 years ago

    ""I have Live Gold and I've never played CoD4 MP. Did play the story mode twice though. "

    Funny. I've got live gold but I've never played the sp. I'm on MP pretty often though. "

    That's actually quite cool. I mean shit like this completly destroys the "oooh I have two friends that like to read while taking a dump, so everybody reads while taking a dump."

  • GamerG #22 3 years ago

    The 360 version is doing especially well when you consider it is competing against Halo 3 and Gears of war 1 & 2 while the PS3 doesn't really have a community around any other game, (except maybe Warhawk and more recently KZ).

  • wowami #23 3 years ago

    As a comparison, MMO king and Activision Blizzard stablemate World of Warcraft has 11 million players worldwide (although, unlike the COD figure, these are all currently active). AND BRINGING IN xxx million to Bl$izzard every month..

    /FIXED

  • cyber_nicco #24 3 years ago

    "I have Live Gold and I've never played CoD4 MP. Did play the story mode twice though. "

    Ahh, Miiguel, you are missing out.

    Do you still have a copy of the game? If so, you should give it a try. I'd be willing to do some with you sometime if you wanted.

  • migasUK #25 3 years ago

    CoD MW is superb... i don't even bother to get the WaW one, cuz is not activation and the game really sucks, played the beta version and was a horrible experience off course in my point of view, I just can't wait for the MW2!!! bring it baby!!!

  • davymackie #26 3 years ago

    [color=red]Red Text[/color]
    GAMERG###
    The 360 version is doing especially well when you consider it is competing against Halo 3 and Gears of war 1 & 2 while the PS3 doesn't really have a community around any other game, (except maybe Warhawk and more recently KZ).
    ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------
    dont forget metal gear online it has a pritty good community.

    ps killzone 2 aint so good tho ive tried to make myself like it.

  • MyPointIs #27 3 years ago

    It'll probably get another BAFTA next year too.

  • Zaltan #28 3 years ago

    Has it actually sold that many copies? Seems a bit crazy. Its a decent game mind.

  • Fab4 #29 3 years ago

    "CoD MW is superb... i don't even bother to get the WaW one, cuz is not activation and the game really sucks,"

    All Call of Duty releases are Activision...they own the IP and farm out the development to IW and Treyarch.

  • Gregormeister #30 3 years ago

    BUT: From these 11m LIVE users are at least 50% kids or just as well stupid and verbal agressive american badasses.

    On the PS3 are these fractions a minor problem, a few stupid guys an just fewer kids. And that's really agreeable. >:-)

    So have fun, guys!

    P.S.: SORRY, BUT THAT'S MY OPINION.

  • moscow #31 7 months ago

    moscow apartments