— Proving that more fans than ever are eager to get their hands on a
new “Call of Duty,” Activision said Thursday that “Call of Duty: Black
Ops” set a record for first-day sales of a video game.
The new military action game set during the Cold War sold about 5.6 million copies in the U.S.,
The previous record holder was last year’s “Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” which sold 4.7 million units its first day and
brought in
Comparisons to other media aren’t always valid,
however. Movies, for instance, generate most of their revenue after
their theatrical debuts, from DVDs and television distribution.
While “Black Ops” is now the fastest-selling video
game out of the gate, it remains to be seen if sales will stay strong.
“Modern Warfare 2” sold 16 million units last November and December and
brought its total to more than 20 million this year. Activision has
projected that “Black Ops” would ultimately sell fewer copies than
“Modern Warfare 2” through the end of this year.
Reviews for “Black Ops,” while good, haven’t been as
strong as they were for “Modern Warfare 2.” The reactions of players
who post their opinions online, meanwhile, have been far from stellar.
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