The most profitable video game of all time at its release. It earned more than $500 million in its first 5 days.
If the first Modern Warfare game is set in 2011 than the second game is set in 2016 as Sheperd says in the opening that 5 years had passed since the end of Call of Duty 4.
It's release set the record for biggest entertainment launch in history, making $310 million in the United States and United Kingdom during it's first 24 hours on sale, surpassing previous record holder Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), as well as other forms of media, such as music and film.
Fan favorite multiplayer map Favela was temporarily taken down on October 6th, 2012 after picture frames with Islamic writing on them saying, "Allah is beautiful and he loves beauty" was discovered in a bathroom where in the Muslim religion it is forbidden to speak of. It was later readded on October 23rd, 2012 on PlayStation 3 and December 10th, 2012 for Xbox 360 with plain black frames, but still has yet to be readded on PC.