5 million sold for Battlefield 3

Shooter Battlefield 3 is now EA's fastest selling game ever, with 5 million units sold in the first week, and the number one spot on the UK charts.

The number is based on internal estimates, but EA also points out the game has 2.5 millions "likes" on social networking site Facebook, and around 200,000 followers on Twitter.

"From Tokyo to Los Angeles, Sydney to London, millions of fans have been playing all weekend long -- we are overwhelmed by the global response to Battlefield 3," said Patrick Soderlund, executive VP of the EA Games Label.

"It is extremely gratifying to deliver an entertainment experience that delights our fans, and to have the opportunity to introduce new people to the franchise. Already, we are seeing unprecedented play times and online activity which is very rewarding. This launch solidifies Battlefield as a leading entertainment brand."

Analyst Cowen and Company has reacted to the figures.

"We are now incrementally more confident in our 8.5 million unit sell through projection for the title in the December quarter," it reported.

"We estimate that Call of Duty has in recent years sold through about 60% of its December quarter units during its first week of release in November, and that Assassin's Creed sells through less than 50% of its December quarter units during its entire launch month of November."

Some gamers reported issues with the Battlefield 3 online servers, but EA ststes that those problems are being addressed.

"While some players experienced intermittent disruption of online services due to high volume, internal estimates show that servers and service uptime stabilized to roughly 98.9% throughout the weekend, ensuring that players were connected and enjoying the game."

So far in the multiplayer gamers have performed 48 million revives, 73 million saviour kills and destroyed 67 million vehicles.

The game was developed by Swedish team DICE, using the Forstbite 2 game engine. In total, the Battlefield series has sold around 50 million units.