Activision's Tippl: Call Of Duty: Black Ops Generates $360m Day One

Activision's newly-released Call of Duty: Black Ops generated more revenue than its predecessor Modern Warfare 2 on its opening day, CFO Thomas Tippl said Thursday at the BMO Capital Markets Annual Digital Entertainment Conference in New York. Tippl said the multiplatform game, developed by Activision's internal studio Treyarch, sold through approximately $360 million in North America and UK retail on day one. "This represents a 16 percent increase over Modern Warfare 2, and sets yet again a new record for entertainment launches across any form of entertainment," he said. Modern Warfare 2 generated $310 million in its first 24 hours. [UPDATE: Activision said in a press statement that Call of Duty: Black Ops sold through about 5.6 million units in North America and the UK on day one, up from Modern Warfare 2's 4.7 million, according to internal Activision estimates.] The performance is validation that the Call of Duty brand can stand on its own -- last year's Modern Warfare 2 was developed by Infinity Ward, the series' creator that had been considered by many as the "A team" for the series. Earlier this year, many members of Infinity Ward, including company founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, left Activision amidst controversy over royalty compensation to form independent developer Reswpan Entertainment. Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops has garnered very strong critical reviews. The game follows top secret military black operations. "There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day sales records two years in a row, which represents the pop culture phenomenon that Call of Duty has become," said Tippl. The CFO also thanked shareholders who "have always been convinced that Modern Warfare 2 was just another milestone and not the end of a record-breaking journey." Tippl also confirmed that Activision plans on supporting Call of Duty with "our largest digital offering ever" in 2011, and the company "continues to make progress" in finding a partner for Call of Duty in China.