Definitive purchase intent for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (out today) is almost three times that of the average videogame title (21% to 8%) reports Nielsen.

Noting that buzz has “been consistently strong” for the title over the four weeks preceding its launch, the data gathering firm said that MW2 had unaided awareness levels in gamers six times higher than historical benchmark titles. Aided awareness numbers were almost triple that of the average videogame (71% to 26%).

46% of all gamers aware of MW2 reported seeing TV ads last week while 30% reported hearing info on the game from a friend or co-worker.

While an average game release has about 3% of gamers indicating they would pick up the title in the first week of release, the number jumps to 9-12% for MW2.

Nielsen said that households which purchased Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare “spend nearly 3 times the amount of money on video game purchases annually vs. the typical video game buying household,” making MW franchise fans “valuable, highly desirable customers at retail – which is perhaps why we see a concerted effort to entice them to not only purchase the game itself, but also special editions and limited-edition consoles.”

Count Ice T (pictured) among those who already picked up a limited edition version of Modern Warfare 2. (via GiantBomb)