Modern Warfare 2 Snaps GameStop’s Pre-order Record

Don’t think for a second that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 isn’t going to sell just because of a couple controversies. Speaking to USA Today, GameStop’s executive vice president of merchandising and marketing, Tony Bartel, said Modern Warfare 2 is currently the most pre-ordered game of all time for the retailer. Bartel didn’t provide any figures, but he anticipated that Modern Warfare 2 will be “the biggest entertainment launch of all time.” And you can’t back that kind of claim up with statistics! In seriousness, there is a lot going on ahead of the game’s November 10 launch day. GameStop is of course having midnight launches, and 2,600 of Wal-Mart’s 24-hour locations are doing the same and handing out game covers autographed by developers Infinity Ward to the first 20 buyers.

GameStop’s got a couple of incentives for the pre-order crowd: The first is a sweepstakes for a bunch of prizes related to the game, such as a Hummer H2, Polaris Snowmobile, Ducati Motorcycle and, yes, 100,000 rubles. And for power gamers, those who pre-order can get a $40 store credit for trading the game back by December 13. But with the kind of demand everyone’s expecting, the biggest bonus of all will be the game itself, and assurances that you’ll actually have a copy on launch day. [USA Today via Gamespot]