• Posted November 11th, 2011 at 14:18 EDT by Mike Harradence
• 6 Comments

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has sold a whopping 6.5 million units in its first 24 hours on sale in the North America and the U.K., generating $400 million in the process.

The milestone puts Modern Warfare 3’s sales 900,000 higher than those of Black Ops in 2010 – which sold 5.6 million units and made $360 million in the process - and trounces Battlefield 3’s week-one sales of just over five million.

Having raked in $400 million in just 24 hours, the military shooter has resulted in publisher Activision claiming its third consecutive year of making “day one launch records across all forms of entertainment.” 

If that wasn’t enough, Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision, has said that life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise “exceed worldwide theatrical box office for “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Ring,” two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.”

“Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row,” said Kotick.

“Call of Duty is more than a game. It’s become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere,” added Activision’s Eric Hirshberg.

“I would like to thank our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for making a brilliant game. But most of all, I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you.”