Analyst: Black Ops Could Top 10M Units Year One

Few expect that Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops can equal last year's smash launch of Modern Warfare 2, but one analyst says it may at least come closer than initially expected. Even though it doesn't launch for another six months, the game is already holding stalwart on the top 10 bestseller lists on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. "This is a very impressive display of strength," says Cowen and Company's Doug Creutz, who says the title might do better versus Modern Warfare 2 comparisons than originally forecast. Black Ops could create a 17 percent year over year decline for the Call of Duty brand as opposed to the originally-modeled 29 percent decline, says Creutz -- he's calling for 10.7 million units sold year one. And this could still be conservative, the analyst suggests. "A strong performance by the Treyarch-developed Black Ops would help combat the notion that the departure of key Infinity Ward talent could permanently impair the Call of Duty franchise," he notes.