‘20 million Call of Duty map packs sold.’

Those words must sound like pure poetry to Activision Blizzard, which recently announced that this landmark achievement had been passed as of June 30th this year, and the end of the company’s last fiscal quarter.

At last count, only six map packs have been released for the entire Call of Duty franchise (two recently for Modern Warfare 2, three for World at War, and one for the original Modern Warfare), which averages out to 3.3 million units of each map pack sold (although it’s likely World at War’s map packs have accounted for the lion’s share of units).

I think the word ‘whopping’ is suitable in this case.

CEO of Activision Blizzard Bobby Kotick exclaimed:

“The Call of Duty franchise is unique in the world of entertainment and delivers one of the best multiplayer experiences ever. We are thrilled to deliver to fans exciting and engaging content that has the intensity they have come to expect from the franchise.”

With the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops on November 9th, and subsequent map packs for that game, Activision’s collective yawning grin will be wider than ever.

Rumours and speculation surrounding the possibility of a subscription-based service for future Call of Duty games, however, may relegate the sale of map packs to ‘a thing of the past.’

Your move, Kotick.