Call of Duty: Black Ops is 'biggest entertainment launch in history'

Call of Duty: Black Ops has generated revenues of $360m in its first 24 hours on sale in the US and UK. Released on Tuesday, the military shooter has out-performed its record-breaking predecessor, Modern Warfare 2, by $50m. According to MCV , 5.6m units have been sold across North America and the UK. Furthermore, according to developer Treyarch, within one hour of the launch, the game's online mode was being used by 1 million concurrent players. Activision is claiming that the Black Ops launch now represents the biggest entertainment launch in history. By comparison, the blockbusting 3D movie Avatar made 'just' $232m in its opening weekend. CEO Bobby Kotick has issued a jubilant statement: "There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening-day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year's five-day global sales record of $550m." Although, the publisher has always been bullish about the prospects for Black Ops, industry pundits previously doubted that the new game would match last year's release. Modern Warfare 2 was developed by Infinity Ward, the studio that created the Call of Duty series; its games have often been thought of as the superior iterations. Treyarch, meanwhile, has been responsible for solid performers like Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War, but has never attained the same levels of critical support. Meanwhile, Cuba's state-run news website has critcised the game for its opening mission which involves a CIA attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro. According to the Associated Press , an article on Cubadebate claimed, "What the United States couldn't accomplish in more than 50 years, they are now trying to do virtually."