Call of Duty's always been a colossal franchise, but the series has struggled to live up to the sales of its juggernaut predecessors in recent years. Fortunately for Activision, it looks like Call of Duty: Black Ops III has stopped the series' rot, as the release brought in a dizzying $550 million over the course of its three-day opening week. Apparently, that's more than Jurassic World could muster – but movie tickets and game sales aren't really comparable, are they?
While the publisher's obscured more specific sales numbers, it has said that digital sales across all systems were nearly double those of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and physical sales were up on its immediate two contemporaries. That suggests that this is the biggest Call of Duty since the behemoth that was Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which made $500 million in just 24 hours in the US alone. So, the series is trending down in general, but Treyarch's the top dog.
In a press release, Sony added that Black Ops III had become the best-selling digital full game by units sold in its first day of availability in PS4 history. That's a pretty darn specific record, but here's what executive Adam Boyes had to say: "PlayStation is the best place to play Call of Duty, and this record-breaking launch shows how true this statement is. Black Ops III is the biggest launch of the year so far, and the PlayStation Nation is ready."
It's a huge launch in what is shaping up to be a mammoth month for video games, with Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront all likely to break records as well. Do you think that Black Ops III is deserving of its success? Pick your perk in the comments section below.
Comments 13
Even when it reviews poorly, it doesn't slow down the people who buy it.
Absolutely loving it
That's like millions of copies.
Disgaea 5 only sold 350,000 total all over the world what a sad world we live in 😿
(that's the last time I bring up disgaea unless an article comes up about it)
@NomNom treyarch CODs have always had a certain degree of bad press, far too many critics have a strange obsession with infinity ward. Nonsense, haters and fanboys aside Treyarch have made the best CODS since I.W. Made COD 4. The reviews have been predictable for black ops 3 but I think the sales show ultimately reviews always need to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. After almost a week with BO3, this is a stunning shooter and by far the best COD in many years. It's just a lot of fun.
Although lots of elitist tend to frown upon CoD, I actually think this year's installment deserves these huge sales numbers if you just accept the fact that a game like CoD is as popular as it is. With Black Ops 3 fans really get their money's worth and although I'm not big on season passes, I would blindly buy one if I was a fan of the series because you know they're gonna deliver, at least more than the competition does.
I honestly believe that gaming wouldn't be as popular as it is today if we didn't have CoD because it attracts a bunch of people who foolishly enough still think gaming is for nerds; these people usually don't refer to themselves as gamers, but simply say the play CoD (and usually Madden or FIFA depending on location). These people also contribute to the industry, albeit not that much, but some of these develop an interest in games and start branching out. We all gotta start somewhere and I feel that this year's CoD is actually not a bad introduction to gaming for those who are new, a great reintroduction for people who quit CoD for a while and an excellent game to upgrade to this gen for.
It's like the Marvel movies we get every year: They're hardly cinematic Van Goghs, but they aren't trying to be. They offer easy to digest action and make the treshold of going to the cinema as low as possible. Without Marvel there might not be your Slovenian art house movie about a cat, a prostitute who wants to become professional roller skater and the big oak tree who watches silently as the stories of their lives unfold... Without CoD there might not be a Tearaway, which I believe has more or less the same plot as the Slovenian movie I mentioned.
@Boerewors
Insightful comment
@NomNom Nor should it, i'm all for the games being reviewed objectively and certainly in the past certain instalments have probably scored higher than they should have done, but if people enjoy it more power to them.
I really don't understand why this franchise is sooo popular
@DualWielding I'm not that sure either. But I suppose, in the same way Goldeneye's multiplayer is so fondly remembered, people enjoy COD's multiplayer in the same way. I was hooked on Counter-Strike for years, it's essentially round after round of team based combat. Tough explaining why it was so good to people who didn't play it.
I've invested time in all of the franchise and there's something special about this one's multi player it great fun and I'm enjoying it so much. I'd always pick pulp fiction over an art house film, the viz over the times, clubbing over the theatre and family guy over the news at 10. Also genuinely prefer doritos to olives. I'm happy to be the target audience. When you get to nearly 40 with wife and kids you learn to like what you like without worrying what others think.
It seems to me that Black Ops has become the series, and the others games are filler of varying quality.
Awsome game worth every penny, £80 WITH a season pass best value AAA game this generation.
Won't be getting any of my money, the beta was trash, I'll be renting it at some point, whizz the campaign and post back.
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