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CallofDutyModernWarfare.com, doesn’t go to Activision after being released

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

The owner of ModernWarfare3.com has managed to rack up nearly 7,000 “Likes” on Facebook for its unofficial fan site that looks a whole lot like the official MW3 site, but the bad news is most people Liking the page probably have no idea that the website is not an official Activision property. 

The fact is, Activision continues to blunder when it comes to domain names. 

Of course, the chore of registering domain names or getting them on the drop or aftermarket, is made all the more difficult by having the best video game franchise ever made and because there are plenty of people buying up every variation of the “Call of Duty” and “Modern Warfare” name.

The domain name callofdutymodernwarfare.com recently expired and was quickly scooped up by InTrust Domains on Thursday.

Domain: callofdutymodernwarfare.com

  Date Registered: 06/02/11
    Date Modified: 06/03/11
      Expiry Date: 06/02/12
                   DNS1: ns1.above.com
                   DNS2: ns2.above.com
  Registrant
                   InTrust Domains
                   Kenn Palm
                   11605 Meridian Market View                  
                   Falcon, CO (US)
                   80831
  Administrative Contact
                   InTrust Domains
                   Kenn Palm
                   11605 Meridian Market View                  
                   Falcon, CO (US)
                   80831

While Activision Publishing has never seemed all too interested in acquiring generic domains (bad news for owners of generics waiting for a big payday) or disputing domain names it missed out on (good news for squatters), it does own one of the best, callofduty.com. 

This week the company has been busy working on plans for its fall release of Call of Duty Elite, a premium online service for Call of Duty gamers. 

It’s also been registering domain names including callofduty-elite.org and callofduty-elite.net, according to DomainTools.

By the way, if you haven’t seen the Modern Warfare 3 trailer by The Onion — it has over 11 million views on YouTube.

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News Video Games

ModernWarfare3.com gets thousands of Facebook fans, growth continues. Site not affiliated with Call of Duty

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Attack on New York City

The owner of ModernWarfare3.com has gained thousands of fans on Facebook and is adding hundreds per day following the news that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released this November. 

The domain name and website, which I have written about previously here and here, has been adding new features in the past few days including a newsletter for announcements, videos, pre-order links, and a forum that is under construction.

The website has the feel of an official Call of Duty site, that is, until you scroll the bottom and see the hard-to-read text that says: “The website ModernWarfare3.com is not associated, affiliated, endorsed or sponsored by the  creators or publishers of the game (we like them a lot though.)”.

With MW3 buzz all over the web, expect this site to get a lot of direct navigation (type-in) traffic.

If you haven’t see what all the buzz is about, here’s a look at the world premiere trailer.

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News Video Games

ModernWarfare3.com: Cashing in on the buzz of top-selling videogame franchise

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 concept art Sandman

Some companies just don’t get it when it comes to domain names.

Back in January I wrote about Activision missing out on Modern Warfare domain names.  Though the company does own ModernWarfare2.com, the company doesn’t own ModernWarfare.com and it missed out on a slew of other domain names early on. 

Not owning the exact match domain names hasn’t hurt sales, but it has certainly helped a few fans and domain owners cash in one way or another on the popularity of the first-person shooter game.   

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Buzz

This week information and dates were leaked on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to online gaming magazine, Kotaku.  Now, everyone is talking about Modern Warfare 3.  Though the buzz has been going on for several months, one might think Activision would buy the matching web address now that the cat is out of the bag.  Not likely.  

Even threats of killing a clown can’t change Activision’s mind as seen with ModernWarfare4.com – a controversy that made headlines

It doesn’t appear Activision has bothered registering any related domain names recently.  Besides, most have already been taken by other people- modernwarfarethree.com, codmodernwarfare3.com, callofdutymodernwarfare3.com and more, making it unlikely the company could find an easy-to-remember domain name specifically for Modern Warfare 3.

Then there’s callofdutymodernwarfare.com… 

The domain name is currently in a RedemptionPeriod status, meaning, the domain name expired, and the registry is waiting for 30 days as a precautionary measure before releasing it. 

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Activision will land the name.  You can bet hardcore Call of Duty fans are already eyeing it.  Since the beginning of May, several Modern Warfare domain names have been registered by individuals and organizations.  Here’s a sample: Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-3.com, ModernWarfare3Fan.com, Modern-Warfare3.org, PlayModernWarfare3.com, NextModernWarfare.com, FreeCallofDutyModernWarfare3.com and ModernWarfarethree.com.