Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has made its way to the top of the UK physical charts during its launch week, but its triumph is overshadowed by lower sales when compared to last year’s title and the likelihood of it becoming the lowest-rated entry in the series.
Developed by Sledgehammer Games, the title has been the subject of controversy that ranged from fullscreen ads at startup on Xbox, as shown in the link above, to reports of rushed development.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 UK Physical Charts
As per data provided by GfK via GamesIndustry.biz, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has secured the top spot on the UK physical charts, its sales (not accounting for its digital version) are 25% lower than that of the Infinity Ward-developed Modern Warfare 2, which launched last year.
Although a majority of users prefer buying digital versions of games nowadays, this could be an indication that players might be weary about jumping on board this year’s Call of Duty.
One reason for that could be the low scores awarded to the rebooted trilogy closer by critics who got their hands on its campaign during its early access window.
As shown on Metacritic, via VGC, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s PS5 version currently has a metascore of 50.
Its user score of 1.5 points towards an overwhelming dislike of Sledgehammer Games’ latest title among fans.
Whether or not the title’s full release will change how players feel about MW3 remains to be seen.
The game was rumored to have started life as a DLC for Modern Warfare 2, being reportedly meant to break the series’ long-running yearly premium release cycle.
A recent Bloomberg report indicates that the game’s development had its share of troubles while only lasting 16 months, far less than fully-fledged entries in the series usually benefit from.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 being on track to become the lowest-rated entry in the series and its weaker physical sales are likely a blow for developer Sledgehammer Games, whose previous effort, Call of Duty: Vanguard, also divided fans and critics, albeit to a lesser extent.
Keep updated on the latest Gaming News by following GameWatcher on X, checking out our videos on YouTube, or by giving us a like on Facebook.
