The gaming and music industries continue to collaborate, though
unfortunately, both businesses are currently losing ground. But the
root causes are somewhat different - the recording industry is
suffering heavy structural and disruptive changes, for example, while
the gaming industry seems to be suffering largely from recessionary,
cyclical effects. But none of that seemed to matter for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which amassed sales of $310 million on its opening day (yes, day, not weekend or week).
The figure, counted and shared by Activision Publishing, covers both the US and UK, and is being hailed as the 'biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment'. The colossal moneybag was generated by sales of roughly 4.7 million copies, also according to Activision. "The shattering of these entertainment records is a testament to the compelling, cinematic and uniquely engaging experience that the Call of Duty brand delivers," said Mike Griffith, CEO of Activision.
And the takeaway for music - labels, authors, startups, whomever? In this case, composer Hans Zimmer and voice-over guest 50 Cent are huge winners, though the big-ticket success could motivate more grandiose, music-involved titles like Grand Theft Auto IV.
But success stories like Modern Warfare are also causing executives like Edgar Bronfman, Jr. to demand greater payouts, a development that one gaming executive regards as damaging to broader licensing efforts. And, Modern Warfare could help to distract the reality away from a gaming industry that is suffering its own fiscal pain. "[Labels] think we have these huge [licensing] budgets for every title, we just don't," the executive told Digital Music News, while preferring to remain anonymous.
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