Call of Duty Franchise Hits $40 Billion Milestone

Did you know that Call of Duty has now raked in over $40 billion? That's billion with a 'B'. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma just confirmed the massive milestone, and it's a huge moment for the iconic shooter series.

Sharma shared the news after the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on October 23. In her statement, she congratulated the team and thanked players: "Congrats to the team. And to the players, thank you for being with us." She didn't specify whether Modern Warfare 4 alone pushed the franchise past the $40 billion mark, but she did call it an "incredible milestone." Either way, it's a staggering number.

So how did Call of Duty get here? The series first debuted 23 years ago in 2003 and has pumped out new installments annually ever since. Beyond the mainline PC and console games, the franchise expanded into mobile and battle royale with Call of Duty: Warzone. The $40 billion likely includes sales of the main games, in-game content, spinoffs, and ports. There's also the Call of Duty movie from Paramount—Activision surely got a fee for that, and it might be counted too.

One thing we don't know? Profitability. Activision doesn't disclose development or marketing budgets for any of its games, so there's no way to gauge how much of that $40 billion is actual profit. Unlike some developers who share break-even points, Activision plays it close to the vest.

For now, Activision continues to lean on the brand power of Modern Warfare and Black Ops, but a brand-new sub-series is in the works. Plus, Activision will develop new Halo games going forward. And Modern Warfare 4 itself is reviewing well, with an 86 on Metacritic.

Whether you're a longtime fan or a curious newcomer, this milestone shows just how huge Call of Duty remains. What do you think about the $40 billion milestone? Will you be picking up Modern Warfare 4? Let us know in the comments!