Modern Warfare 3 tops the sale chart in December, despite the harsh criticism

The gaming community saw the incredible comeback of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 when it overcame negative reviews to take the top spot in the December 2023 sales charts. Despite periodic critiques, the series maintains its status as a juggernaut in the genre.

The game, developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision, was a best-seller on the PS5 Store in December across North America and Europe. The game's strong sales performance highlights how popular the franchise has remained over the years.

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Modern Warfare 3 was the best-selling game in December

In December 2023, Modern Warfare 3 became the most popular game on the PS5 Store in both North America and Europe. After a brief campaign early access period, MW 3 was first released on November 10, 2023, to a mixed reception from critics.

Upon release, the game was bashed by critics for several issues, one major problem being its short campaign, among many others. Modern Warfare 3 received low ratings from critics, with a rating of just 53 from Metacritic and a mere 4/10 from IGN. It had similar ratings on Steam as well.

The game had poor user ratings as well. Many players went as far as calling MW 3 one of the worst Call of Duty games ever made. Others called the game a cash grab, taking a dig at the short campaign. The same trend was noticed on Steam as well, with users expressing their disappointment with the campaign.

All this harsh criticism did not seem to affect the game's commercial success, as it topped the sales charts on the PS5 Store in December across North America and Europe. Modern Warfare 3 took the top spot by outperforming titles like Madden NFL 24, Grand Theft Auto V, NBA 2K24, EA Sports FC 24, Marvel's Spiderman 2, and Baldur's Gate 3 in the North American region, and EA Sports FC 24, Grand Theft Auto V, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Hogwarts Legacy, ARK: Survival Ascended, and Baldur's Gate 3 in Europe.

As it continues to dominate the gaming industry, MW 3 challenges preconceived notions about the relationship between critical reception and commercial performance. Beyond criticism and reviews, player preferences and franchise loyalty frequently have a big influence on how successful a game becomes.