2009 saw the release of the latest entry in the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which went on to become not only the biggest selling game of the year, but also the biggest entertainment launch of all time. The game debuted in the U.S. and United Kingdom on November 10, and sold over 4.7 million copies on its first day, earning an estimated $310 million – an amazing accomplishment for developer Infinity Ward, which has been building the franchise since 2003.
The game’s success was also a defining career moment for a group of three Full Sail graduates working at the company – Mohammad Alavi, Chrissy Arya, and Chance Glasco. These grads held different roles on Modern Warfare 2, from dialog editing to weapon animations, and have been blown away by the reception its been receiving from both gamers and critics.
“When I started hearing the figures that’s when I was really shocked, both by how much it was selling and how quickly,” says Chance Glasco, Animator. “It’s one of those things where you run into tons of people who like the game, but never realize just how popular it is until you see those numbers on paper.”
Infinity Ward’s promotional campaign for the game included a press tour of Europe with members of the design team. Chance actually found himself in London on release day, where he was able to see the excitement of the game’s rabid fan base first hand. The developers were almost treated like rock stars by the crowd, which is probably about as far away as you could get from the months of hard work they spent sitting behind their computers bringing the game to life.
“It was pretty crazy, there was this huge party at Leicester Square, which is basically the Hollywood Boulevard of London where they have all the movie premieres,” Chance says. “As a developer you’re in a studio behind closed doors and nobody knows what you look like, so it’s not like you go outside and people usually recognize you. This was really exciting though, to have all these people there for something you worked on.”
Months after its initial release, Modern Warfare 2 continues to sit in the top ten best seller list, with new players being drawn to its deep single player storyline and intense online matches. If you’re lucky, next time you fire up a multiplayer game you might actually find yourself going up against someone from the development team.
“I think the most rewarding aspect of making games is going online once it ships and playing against people all over the world who are enjoying it,” Chance says. “You can’t fully visualize how many people are out there playing what you worked on until you go online and see how many matches are going on. It’s a pretty awesome feeling to know that they’re enjoying your work.”
