Hasta La Gadget!

Call of Duty: Black Ops II launched a few days ago, and we’re now seeing the sales numbers flow in. We already reported GameStop’s sales numbers for the new game, but as a whole, Treyarch and Activision have sold $500 million worth of copies around the world, making it the biggest entertainment launch in history.

The franchise’s previous record was when Modern Warfare 3 made $400 million in sales last year, which equates to 6.5 million copies sold in the US and UK. We weren’t given an exact figure as far as how many copies of Black Ops II were sold on the first day, but it’s obviously a lot more than 6.5 million.

Black Ops II moved 1 million copies at GameStop on the first day alone, while Amazon noted that the game became the site’s most pre-ordered game ever. Activision will no doubt announce the game’s five-day sales numbers, since it did the same with Modern Warfare 3 last year, which scrounged up $775 million in sales in the first five days.

Based on last year’s figures, we can only assume that Black Ops II will see an even bigger five-day sales number, which could possibly reach the $1 billion mark (yes, with a “B”). This launch marks the fourth consecutive year in which a Call of Duty game has eclipsed all previous entertainment launches of that particular year.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II brings in $500 million in first day sales is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Back in May, the folks at Treyarch and Activision officially announced the release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops II as November 13, 2012. Honestly, that seemed like eons away at the time, but if there’s one thing that school taught you, it’s that the summer flies by extremely quickly, and just like that, today is November 13, 2012.

The Call of Duty series has been a huge hit ever since the original title was released back in 2003. Last year’s installment, Modern Warfare 3, saw $400 million in sales just on the first day alone, selling 6.5 million copies in North America and the UK. The first Black Ops title garnered $360 million in sales, while the previous title, Modern Warfare 2, earned $310 million.

Obviously, there’s an upward trend happening, and if history is any indication, Black Ops II will most likely shoot past $400 million within the first 24 hours of availability. People were lined up at GameStop hours before the game’s release at midnight, and IGN even conducted a poll that found that 26% of gamers planned on skipping work or school to play the new game.

Of course, any diehard Call of Duty fan has played hooky at least once during a launch day (myself included, back in the day), but 26% is a fairly high number today, especially for a game series that has seen a yearly launch for the past six years or so, proving that the series hasn’t died down just yet.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II now available is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The newest installment of the Call of Duty series is set to arrive on November 13 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, with the Wii U version arriving five days later on November 18. However, according to Activision, Black Ops II for the Wii U will not support Call of Duty Elite within the foreseeable future.

Activision told Kotaku that it they “are currently evaluating options for Call of Duty Elite to support Nintendo’s Wii U game system, however Call of Duty Elite for Call of Duty: Black Ops II will not support this platform when the game launches on November 13th.” Of course, the Wii U version doesn’t launch until the 18th, but we understand what they mean.

The Call of Duty Elite service will be a completely free service that is launching alongside Black Ops II. It will feature stat tracking, social options, and the ability to download map updates throughout 2013 (if you spring for the $50 season pass, that is). We’re not sure what kind of impact this will have on the Wii U version of the game, but Call of Duty fans surely won’t be too happy.

If you didn’t catch the launch trailer for Black Ops II that released yesterday, there’s still time to look it over and get excited for the next installment in the series. From the looks of it, Blacks Ops II will feature all the cool explosions that you love, as well as what look to be some interesting single-player campaign levels.

[via Kotaku]

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is probably going to be the biggest game of the year, so it’s only appropriate that Activision finds some big names to attach to the game’s development. One of these big names is Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor, who has composed the theme song for the highly-anticipated military shooter. Apparently, the tune is an “aggressively sounding” rock arrangement, which should fit well with Black Ops II’s gritty gameplay and style.

Reznor, however, isn’t just doing this for the money, telling Game Hunters that he’s actually a big fan of the Call of Duty franchise. “I have always looked to that franchise as the cutting edge of what seemingly unlimited budgets and full-on not cutting any corners can do in the current day and age,” he says, claiming that he’s played through most of the Call of Duty games, only missing “one or two” while out on tour.

Indeed, it seems this was the perfect gig for not only Reznor, but also for Treyarch. Black Ops II director Dave Anthony suggests that Reznor was the top pick from the start, saying that the folks at Treyarch knew he was perfect for the role of theme song composer when they decided they wanted something “a little dark” but also “original and engaging.”

You can look forward to hearing Reznor’s arrangement when Call of Duty: Black Ops II launches for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on November 13, 2012.

[via Game Hunters]

Call of Duty: Black Ops II theme song composed by Trent Reznor is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.