Original story

February 13, 2010 - CEO of Activision Publishing Mike Griffith revealed during the company's recent financial call that Call of Duty: World at War is still generating huge profit in the digital market. Combined sales of all three multiplayer map packs are nearing 10 million downloads since last year.

"The Call of Duty: World at War map packs have sold more than 8.5 million units in a single year," he said. "World at War remains one of the top three titles played over Xbox LIVE even more than one year since its original launch."

At 800 Microsoft points a piece (or $10), Activision has almost generated an extra $100 million dollars in one year by selling just multiplayer maps for a game that came out in late 2008.

Sales for the first map pack, released on March 19, 2009, reached one million downloads in its first week. Two additional map packs, released in June and August of that same year, also set record first-week sales on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network.

Activision is set to release its first of many planned map packs for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 this spring on Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network and PC.

so, this begs the question: what does this tell us?
well, for 1, it shows that "mandatory" DLC works. in COD 5, the Map pack maps were intergrated into regular playlists, and you would be kicked if did not own the map that was selected. by the time DLC 3 came around, you would get kicked so often you HAD to buy the maps.

also, It shows the success of zombies! I bought the DLC simply for zombies, and each time spent the next week playing on the new map form launch day.

so, for us to discuss, do you think the MW2 DLC will show so much success?
well, yes, I think it will hit 10 Million. this is simply because so many people bought MW2, much more than WAW. however, if you look at it in percents,
I think a higher percent of WAW players will have purchased DLC than MW2 players.

so, what do you guys think?

WaW did so well with it's DLCs because of zombies. I barely heard an ounce of discussion about the new maps, just the zombie ones. This also tells us that it was a stupid idea not to release an Map Pack 4. Considering the amount of income generated from the previous three and the fact WaW is still being played it would not have been hard for them to have sold it even with MW2 coming out.

Now, MW2s DLC? Chances are it will make money but only because people will feel that they HAVE to buy the packs.

As each map packs got released It was less about the MP maps and more about the zombies for me and my friends.

But the maps were amazing as well.

A Groping Walrus wrote:

As each map packs got released It was less about the MP maps and more about the zombies for me and my friends.

But the maps were amazing as well.

I agree, the other maps were fantastic. Sub pens, Corrosion & Banzai are three of my favourites but still, imagine how many sales they would have made with a three zombie maps pack for map pack 4. They really did miss that opportunity...

I don't think that the MW2 pack will do as well. The reason is because I think the majority of the people who bought the map packs for WAW were buying for zombies, at least most people. Now playing MW2 it has become repeatitive to play the same maps, so I think that yes they will sell alot of maps in that first week even make it up to the 1 million mark, but beyond that and for IW to make additional maps that sell as good as WAW's has, probably not.

lissa110 wrote:

I don't think that the MW2 pack will do as well. The reason is because I think the majority of the people who bought the map packs for WAW were buying for zombies, at least most people. Now playing MW2 it has become repeatitive to play the same maps, so I think that yes they will sell alot of maps in that first week even make it up to the 1 million mark, but beyond that and for IW to make additional maps that sell as good as WAW's has, probably not.

I agree.
But..who knows..seeing how there was supposed to be more gametypes in MW2 that they took out and you can still hear the audio..If you go into the game..
IW might put the gametypes back in with the map packs..and maybe more people might buy the packs..

I beg the question as to how much of that 100 million DLC money treyarch will spend on cod 7. Considering the zombie maps made the DLC such a hit, will treyarch invest that money into making a great game, a total zombie game, or a brand new game with a zombie mode the likes of which we'd never scene. All in all, it comes down to how generous Treyarch will feel. Will the give that money back to the community by making a mind blowing game, or make the next one on a shoe-string bugget, scewing us over and keeping the money for themselves? Srm-trpr out.

Niho wrote:

lissa110 wrote:

I don't think that the MW2 pack will do as well. The reason is because I think the majority of the people who bought the map packs for WAW were buying for zombies, at least most people. Now playing MW2 it has become repeatitive to play the same maps, so I think that yes they will sell alot of maps in that first week even make it up to the 1 million mark, but beyond that and for IW to make additional maps that sell as good as WAW's has, probably not.

I agree.
But..who knows..seeing how there was supposed to be more gametypes in MW2 that they took out and you can still hear the audio..If you go into the game..
IW might put the gametypes back in with the map packs..and maybe more people might buy the packs..

you know, i honestly don't like global thermonuclear war, which, if no one knows, is the gametype Niho is probably talking about, it is going to be a long gametype, it will take forever to capture the nuke, i play search, so that is totally opposite of what i like, you have to actually be TOUCHING, the nuke, that means anyone can just go in and spray like crazy and get everyone.

good point srm-trmpr. I would imagine the money goes to activision, not treyarch. as a publisher, I believe that activision is responsible to fund their projects. so, the question is, what did activsion do with that money? spend it do another music game? most likely.