Call of Duty game breaks sales record

Activision Blizzard said its video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" scored record sales of US$550 million in its first five days, but the company is still concerned about weak consumer spending.

The game, a "first-person-shooter" that lets gamers portray elite soldiers hunting down targets in locations ranging from South America to Afghanistan, beat last year's blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto IV" from Take-Two Interactive Software which sold more than US$500 million in its first week.

Activision did not say how many units were sold in the period. Last week it said it sold 4.7 million copies for sales of US$310 million on its first day in the US and United Kingdom alone.

Analysts' sales estimates for the US$60 game range from 11 million to 13 million units by the end of 2009. There is plenty at stake for Activision since "Call of Duty" is likely to account for a sizable chunk of the company's profits in the fourth quarter, analysts say.

Shares of the company, which have risen around 35 per cent and outperformed chief rival Electronic Arts's 11 per cent gain, rose 5 cents in early trade on Wednesday to $11.74.

Still, chief executive Bobby Kotick was mindful of the weak economy, which has stung the video game industry this year as consumers think twice about buying game machines and software.

"Despite the success of 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2', Activision Blizzard remains cautious about the US and global economy as well as other variables that can affect industry fundamentals and our own performance, including consumer spending which remains a significant concern," he said in a statement.

Price cuts from home console makers Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony had been expected to help boost software sales since September, but have so far proven to have little affect on game sales.

- Reuters