Call Of Duty: Black Ops Passes $1 Billion In Sales Worldwide

Since the release of publisher Activision and developer Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops, the companies have watched as their title steadily look over sales records, and sold millions of copies all over the world. In a matter of five days, the title had managed to pull in $650 million in total sales. And now, with the game's first downloadable content for the Xbox 360 coming February 1st, Activision is happy to announce that the game is still selling like hot cakes.

In a press release, which you can read below, Activision announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops has officially not only reached, but surpassed $1 billion in total sales around the world. That's $1 billion in just one month. That also means the game has garnered even more world records, breaking them along the way. Activision is also pleased to announce that the title has managed to rack up 600 million hours of total playtime in the multiplayer community since its launch. Microsoft helped solidify the game as a multiplayer juggernaut, as they announced that the average player logs on more than once every day, and stays logged in for more than one hour during their session.

"In all of entertainment, only Call of Duty and "Avatar" have ever achieved the billion dollar revenue milestone this quickly," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.

Looks like that despite the terrible multiplayer experiences that players on the PC, and especially Sony's PlayStation 3 home console are reporting, the game is still managing to sell. And, it will probably continue into the New Year. Let's hope that more hot fixes are released in the interim, so more players can actually enjoy taking part in that 600 million hours.

Press Release

Call of Duty®: Black Ops™ Surpasses $1 Billion in Sales Worldwide

Over 600 Million Hours Logged Playing Call of Duty: Black Ops

Game Continues to Set Entertainment Records

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Call of Duty: Black Ops continues to set sell-through records crossing the $1 billion mark in sales worldwide since its launch in November, according to internal Activision estimates.

In its first five days alone, the game sold more than $650 million worldwide, outpacing theatrical box office, book and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell through in dollars, according to internal Activision estimates and boxofficemojo.com. The game exceeded Activision's previous five-day worldwide record of $550 million set by last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® 2.

To date, more than 600 million hours have been logged playing Call of Duty: Black Ops since the game launched on November 9, 2010. According to Microsoft, the average player logs on more than once a day and plays for more than one hour each time. Over half of that time is spent playing online with and against friends, illustrating the unique social characteristics of the game.

"In all of entertainment, only Call of Duty and "Avatar" have ever achieved the billion dollar revenue milestone this quickly," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. "This is a tribute to the global appeal of the Call of Duty franchise, the exceptional talent at Treyarch and the hundreds of extraordinary people across our many Call of Duty studios including Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer that work tirelessly on the franchise. Our ability to provide the most compelling, immersive entertainment experience, and enhance it with regular, recurring content that delivers hundreds of hours of audience value, has allowed Call of Duty to continue to set sales and usage records."

Kotick continued, "This extraordinary milestone was achieved because of the tens of millions of passionate Call of Duty players around the world. Global audiences have logged billions of hours online with Call of Duty games on Xbox LIVE, the Playstation Network and on personal computers. This unique level of community engagement has enabled Call of Duty to become one of the world's most engaged online communities.

"Call of Duty continues to rewrite not just the record books, but also the rules of interactive entertainment," says Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "Even more remarkable than the number of units sold is the number of hours people are playing the game together online which are unprecedented. Call of Duty is more than a game, it's a true community.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Language. For additional information about the game, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.

*All references cited are sourced according to www.boxofficemojo.com or www.guinnessworldrecords.com