Black Ops 2 earns more than $500 million in 24 hours

I wish Call of Duty was my daddy.

For the fourth year in a row, the Call of Duty franchise earned the title of biggest entertainment launch of the year when Call of Duty: Black Ops II launched this past Tuesday, according to an Activision press release. It sold more than $500 million worldwide in its first 24 hours of availability, according to Activision's estimates.

"Call of Duty has become more than a product people buy, it's become a brand people buy into," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "And every November, we do more than just launch a game. We kick off an annual, unofficial, but worldwide phenomenon called Call of Duty season."

Indeed. Last year's Modern Warfare 3 made more than $775 million in its first five days at retail, while the original Black Ops before it sold $650 million in that same span. And with its direct sequel Black Ops II already earning a half-billion dollars in its first day, it seems Treyarch's first-person shooter is set to surpass those marks as well.

To put this in perspective, Microsoft recently announced Halo 4 made $300 million in its first week, which is considered extraordinary: It's the biggest launch in Halo history. That's also $200 million less in seven days than what BLOPS II managed in 24 hours.

The franchise is a juggernaut, folks. Maybe even, The Juggernaut.

Staff article by Jonathan Davila (November 16, 2012) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this news article, you can update your bio from the Settings page.