Modern Warfare 3, the latest spinoff of the popular Call of Duty video game series, has officially beaten the quickest-to-a-billion-dollars record previously set by Avatar.
James Cameron’s epic effort took 17 days to hit that mark; Modern Warfare 3 took 16.
It’s an incredible benchmark for the series, and it’s evidence that video games have become one of the most economically vibrant corners of the media marketplace.
According to Variety, aggregate video game sales in November were up 15 percent thanks to high-profile sequels: Modern Warfare 3, Elder Scroll V: Skyrim, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
However, overall revenue was flat, due in part to discounted hardware costs.
Will that change in 2012 with new consoles being rolled out? Stay tuned.