With "Modern Warfare 3", Activision wants to remain the leader in war games

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the archetype of the blockbuster video game ... An escalation chart, a minimum scenario and millions of copies sold each new episode. This game shooter, a direct result of the previous Modern Warfare, released in 2009, is expected to break all records and selling, analysts said, more than 12 million copies, all platforms combined, at its first week of marketing. According to the firm RW Baird, between 18 and 19 million copies would be sold by the end of the year, allowing Activision-Blizzard to reap at least $ 1.1 billion (800 million euros).

The title that focuses on the action, the big show and some controversial scenes, along with the online game World of Warcraft, the main pension for Activision-Blizzard, the leading global video game. "When we design a game, we do not want to pay in the controversy. Modern Warfare 3 is realistic in the choice of uniforms for example, but it is a fiction, a blockbuster in the events of history," said Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward studio manager.

For Modern Warfare 3, two development studios were even engaged, Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games. "Our teams have never been divided. We worked as one team, and worked with a common vision. Sledgehammer has allowed us to bring a little cooler," Mr. Bowling.

Over 100 million games Call of Duty stamped on all media, have been sold worldwide, according to figures collected by the specialized site VG Chartz. With Black Ops, released last year, the series has tried rather clumsily to an exercise in narrative style, had already recorded record sales. According to VG Chartz, more than 13 million copies were sold on Xbox 360, and nearly 11 million Playstation 3, Sony.

Call of Duty franchise remains an essentially American. The game has sales in Japan marginal when more than 60 million shares of the license were sold in the United States. Europe is the second largest war game, with 38.5 million copies sold. The implementation of the license was also progressive. This is especially Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, released on next generation consoles, the series began to beat the record sales.

More hostile environment

At the launch of Modern Warfare 3, the environment of war games, however, is more hostile. At the end of October was released Battlefield 3, as a direct competitor of Activision-Blizzard. The game, published by Electronic Arts, set the same revenue, rendering almost photorealistic images of the game, with a new engine, Frostbyte 2.0, and an overhaul of the multiplayer mode. In one week, 5 million copies were sold worldwide, including 3.5 million in one weekend.

Other shooters like Resistance 3 or even Gears of War 3, are also trying to distinguish itself in the ruthless world of shooting game. Modern Warfare 3 can win in this context? "Modern Warfare 3 contains sequences of play that can not find anywhere else, including both a single player multiplayer and innovative. We were particularly attentive to the game mechanics, which is different in each city," ensures Robert Bowling.

But Activision is also looking for new growth. Often accused of producing a solo game mode too short, simple step facing the multiplayer, Robert Bowling ensures not have sold off the single player. "The single-player and multiplayer experiences are different. But we are working to combine the two, and blur the boundaries," said the head of Infinity Ward.

At the time of the release of Modern Warfare 3, Activision also runs Call of Duty Elite, a social network dedicated to fans of the series. According to research firm, such a service fee could generate $ 50 million (36.6 million) in revenue in 2012.