Summary
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 set a user engagement record for the MW reboot trilogy in terms of average playtime per player during its first two weeks on the market.
- The fact that Activision's new insights about the game focus on player engagement suggest that MW3 did not outsell MW2.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 set the record for the highest player engagement in the entire Modern Warfare reboot trilogy, in addition to outperforming its two prequels by a few other metrics. This bit of official insight into the game's early performance arrives mere weeks after Modern Warfare 3 released to underwhelming reviews.
The shooter's lackluster critical reception has been underpinned by the fairly widespread criticism of its minimal single-player campaign, as well as complaints about some disappointing content reuse. And while the series itself has long been multiplayer-oriented, these grievances still proved to be significant enough to make Modern Warfare 3 the worst-rated game in Call of Duty history by a fair margin.
Be that as it may, Activision just revealed that its latest game helped the Modern Warfare reboot trilogy reach new user engagement heights in terms of average hours per player during its first two weeks on the market. The publisher also highlighted that the game's panned single-player campaign still amassed more total playtime hours than that of its two predecessors. The wording of that statement implies that at least one of Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard surpassed the single-player campaign of Modern Warfare 3 in this respect, as Activision likely wouldn't have passed up the opportunity to claim the game has the most popular story mode in the last five years of the franchise.
Engagement Metrics Aside, There's No Indication MW3 Outsold MW2
Reading between the lines a bit more, it stands to reason that the new Call of Duty game failed to outsell its immediate predecessor. Had it managed to do so, Activision's latest update likely would have centered on that achievement instead of being entirely focused on playing time metrics. One circumstantial piece of evidence substantiating that theory is the recent GfK report suggesting Modern Warfare 3 sales started strongly relative to its reviews, but were still roughly 25% lower compared to the launch week performance of Modern Warfare 2, at least in the United Kingdom.
On the other hand, the new Call of Duty game would likely have had a hard time outperforming its predecessor even if it enjoyed a much better critical reception. For reference, around this time last year, Modern Warfare 2 became the fastest game in the franchise to reach $1 billion in sales. It did so in only ten days, or five days fewer than the previous record holder, Black Ops 2, which held that title for a full decade.
Activision's engagement insights about the newest Call of Duty entry were also accompanied by an official confirmation that the Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 will kick off on December 6. The date itself shouldn't come as a surprise to the fandom, having already been rumored for weeks at this point.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 58 /100 Critics Rec: 14%
- Released
- November 10, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Sledgehammer Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- iw 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
- Franchise
- Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 5 Hours
