Activision's high-profile shooter Call of Duty: World at War is poised to be a hit, but one not as big as November 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, according to one analyst.

Doug Creutz with Cowen and Company forecasted in a Wednesday research note that World at War will sell 5.5 million units during its lifetime in the U.S., a "32.4 percent year-on-year decline" from CoD4.

However Creutz added, "Given the strong ratings and demand indicators, we think World at War could deliver meaningful upside to our current estimates."

During 2007, CoD4 sold over 7 million units on a worldwide basis.

Treyarch-developed World at War is earning a very strong 88 percent rating on Metacritic.

Activision recently said that pre-orders for World at War were up over Infinity Ward-developed CoD4.

Creutz continued, "Our independent channel checks confirm high initial demand for the game."

Cowen and Company recently conducted a survey that found World at War was tied at #1 for the "most likely to purchase title this holiday season." The other top game was another Activision title, Guitar Hero: World Tour.

"We think these indications support our belief that [World at War] will be one of this holiday’s most successful videogame titles," he said.