sales Black Ops II nets $1 billion

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Black Ops II nets $1 billion

Latest Call of Duty game hits sales milestone in 15 days, outpacing Modern Warfare 3; 150 million hours played across Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II has generated $1 billion in worldwide revenue since launch on November 13, Activision announced today. The game reached the sales milestone in 15 days, outpacing last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which needed 16 days to net $1 billion.

iting Chart-Track data and internal company estimates, Activision said Black Ops II's record-setting sales illustrate the "strong appeal of interactive audiences worldwide." The company claims Black Ops II is off to a faster start than Hollywood juggernaut Avatar, which took 17 days to net $1 billion.

The accolades for Black Ops II and the Call of Duty series do not stop there. In a statement, Activision CEO Robert Kotick said since the series launched, total worldwide franchise sales have surpassed box office receipts for the top-ten grossing films of 2012 combined. Additionally, Kotick reiterated that life-to-date Call of Duty series sales have exceed total worldwide box office revenue for the iconic Harry Potter and Star Wars franchises.

Additionally, Activision said since launch, players have logged more than 150 million hours of Black Ops II playtime across Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

According to Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg, the success of Black Ops II is no mistake. The executive said that if Activision wants to keep the Call of Duty series relevant and compelling, the company must bring fresh ideas and innovation to each new entry while simultaneously balancing the core tenets of the series.

"That's what we did with Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and that's what we intend to keep on doing," Hirshberg said in a statement.

Though Activision may have another billion dollar game to add to its resume, the Call of Duty series may be declining. In a note to investors last week, Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia projected that first-year sales for Black Ops II are trending down by 15 percent over Modern Warfare 3.

If accurate, this would be the second year running that the Call of Duty brand has declined year-over-year. The first came last year, Bhatia said, when Modern Warfare 3 was down 5 percent against sales of the original Call of Duty: Black Ops.

"It goes without saying that weakness in this franchise is a cause for concern," Bhatia said at the time.

Last month, Activision announced that Black Ops II netted $500 million during its first 24 hours, cruising past Modern Warfare 3's day-one haul of $400 million. Importantly, though, Modern Warfare 3's figure only accounts for North American and European sales, while Black Ops II's factors in all regions.

Additionally, Activision did not reveal five-day sales of Black Ops II. This is a departure from normative behavior, as the publisher announced five-day sales for 2011's Modern Warfare 3 ($775 million), 2010's original Black Ops ($650 million), and 2009's Modern Warfare 2 ($550 million).

[Nerd Rage]

I always tell myself that I'm not going to pour anymore money into the Activision-Blizzard machine.....and yet I always do. I actually really like Black Ops II.

[Gaffney]

So what have they done with several billion dollars, will anything be done with it?

[Livin in a box]

So what have they done with several billion dollars, will anything be done with it?

Bobby Kotick's pay cheque gets bigger and bigger.

[TheLegendOfMart]

So what have they done with several billion dollars, will anything be done with it?

No it gets put in the bank and they will churn out black ops 3 using the same sh*tty graphics engine.

[Duffydemon]

And they complain about loss from piracy... :rolleyes:

[Lucas]

Damn, I stopped buying them after Modern Warfare 2, when will they move on from the CoD franchise...

[Phouchg]

Yo, cracker Kotick, I'm real happy for you and imma let you go on, but movie tickets don't come at $70. Nor do Blurays and DVDs. So that comparison is a little off.

[Argi]

I don't understand. No one I have on steam has the game - who the heck is buying it? :huh:

[Muhammad Farrukh]

I don't understand. No one I have on steam has the game - who the heck is buying it? :huh:

You have 6 million Steam friends? :laugh: :p

[Blackhearted]

So what have they done with several billion dollars, will anything be done with it?

Of course not. Why would they bother doing anything with all that money when they can continue the same half-assed path they're on and still get an absurd amount of money from it?

[spaceelf]

It's the first CoD I'll buy that wasn't really cheap on sale, but I can't be arsed yet.

[Guth]

Im not a big gamer and recently sold my xbox

but apart from this latest COD, I've had every other one on release day from COD2 onward. Why is everyone so against it? as I said, im not a big gamer but I seriously think each one has been one of the best games ive played, until the next came out. the stories, cinematics and gameplay are just great. I've had countless hours of fun from the COD franchise and no other game has kept me playing so long.

COD2 (which I had for PC) is still my favourite though :)

[Muhammad Farrukh]

but apart from this latest COD, I've had every other one on release day from COD2 onward. Why is everyone so against it?

Because after making billions of dollars, in net, they still are using a decade old graphics engine, have stripped down the once great single-player campaign to ashes, save for the first and second Call of Duty and original Modern Warfare, and strickly speaking, haven't done anything remarkeable in Multiplayer catagory since the early days

So, yeah...

[Guth]

Because after making billions of dollars, in net, they still are using a decade old graphics engine, have stripped down the once great single-player campaign to ashes, save for the first and second Call of Duty and original Modern Warfare, and strickly speaking, haven't done anything remarkeable in Multiplayer catagory since the early days

So, yeah...

yeah I guess id agree with most of that.

As for the graphics engine, its still quite good though isnt it? COD still has better graphics than a lot of games ive played. Perhaps the current gen consoles are almost at their max and it isn't worth developing a new engine?

I thought people were against it from a gameplay/enjoyment viewpoint and couldn't get why, the games are great fun nobody can deny that.

[Blackhearted]

Im not a big gamer and recently sold my xbox

but apart from this latest COD, I've had every other one on release day from COD2 onward. Why is everyone so against it? as I said, im not a big gamer but I seriously think each one has been one of the best games ive played, until the next came out. the stories, cinematics and gameplay are just great. I've had countless hours of fun from the COD franchise and no other game has kept me playing so long.

COD2 (which I had for PC) is still my favourite though :)

You are seriously lacking gaming experience if you say CoD games are some of the best games you've played.

[Guth]

You are seriously lacking gaming experience if you say CoD games are some of the best games you've played.

yeah probably, like I said, im not a serious gamer and im probably a sheep - I play what is popular usually.

My other fav games are assisins creed and half life.

those are the games that stick in my mind as really enjoyable.

Recommend something to me via PM :) (infact, I dont have a console and my PC isn't powerful enough for modern games, so it may be a while before I get to trying it)