Modern Warfare 2 Highlights A Booming Industry

As major film production studios scrimp and save searching for new ways to fund projects in the wake of worldwide recession, the video games industry continues to buck the trend, instead basking in an ongoing pattern of growth. The past couple of years have naturally been up and down, but the gaming sector as a whole is still growing. Financial wariness means people are staying in more than they used to, and gaming is booming as a result.

All of this was exemplified yesterday with the global release of Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to Activision’s 2007 original, undoubtedly one of the most anticipated video game releases of all time. Pre-order numbers were through the roof in the run up to release and opening week sales figures of around 3m are already being forecast. The game even had a grand film premiere style opening in London’s Leicester Square, drawing celebrities and journalists alike.

Concerns about the game’s morality raised by several figures including MP Keith Vaz – who called for a complete ban – have done nothing but raise the furore surrounding the title. Modern Warfare 2 looks set to be the biggest selling video game in history and will likely generate more revenue in its first week of sales than many big film releases can muster over their entire release slot, and with Christmas looming ever closer on the horizon, sales of the game will only skyrocket further as 2009 draws to a close.