Eager Fans Greet "Call of Duty" Launch

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Inc's hugely anticipated "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" video game went on sale on Tuesday, welcomed by eager fans who lined up hours in advance of the release.

The first-person shooter game is set to be one of the biggest and fastest-selling titles in history, challenging records set by blockbuster releases from the "Grand Theft Auto" series.

This despite a dicey economic climate that is pinching consumer spending. Video game industry revenue in the United States, the world's largest market, is down 13 percent this year, according to industry tracker NPD.

But Call of Duty arrives amid high expectations and plenty of hype. Activision partnered with retailers including GameStop Corp and Best Buy Co for more than 10,000 midnight store openings in North America.

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At the GameStop store near Union Square in New York City, around 80 mainly young people lined up Monday night ahead of the launch, some for two hours.

"This is the only game I'm probably going to do this for," said Paola Altamirano, 21, who was waiting in the queue. She said she planned to play Call of Duty against another friend online later that night.

With what Activision called a record level of preorders, there was little doubt about the strong demand for a game.

"Gamers are enthusiastic about picking this stuff up at midnight," said Paul Swiderski, who works at the Union Square GameStop.

Analysts' sales estimates for the $60 game range from 11 million to 13 million units by the end of 2009. Call of Duty is likely to account for a sizable chunk of Activision's profits in the fourth quarter, analysts say, so there is plenty at stake in the launch.

HARD-CORE AUDIENCE

The audience for the latest Call of Duty -- the sixth installment in the franchise -- is primarily younger men, the gaming demographic that makes up the core of the estimated $50 billion global industry.