Black Ops 2 midnight launch sales destroy expectations, GameStop and Blockbuster serve it up hot

El33tonline writes:

"The launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was expected to set new records for unit sales and generated revenue, and while toppling the records of 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was always going to be a tall order, Activision and Treyarch’s latest title is on track to do just that."

[TOGC]

I know...Where I work its a small electronics department in a grocery store (not walmart) and it isn't that well known.

This is how it went:
We got 40 copies of halo 4, sold 21.
We got 40 copies each of Black Ops 2 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, all sold out an hour after we opened.

Was quite surprised.

[OliverKO]

Wow, thanks for that info - final day one (and week one) sales for Black Ops 2 are going to be very interesting...

[decrypt]

Console gamers.. cant get enough of COD. MW 1.15 is amazing.

[Thatguy-310]

I usually don't buy call of duty games the first day but I did with this one and I'm truly enjoying it. It's the true sequel to modern warfare.

[calis]

"Console gamers.. cant get enough of COD. MW 1.15 is amazing."

Haters can't get enough trashing a game they don't like (though never played) and don't understand differing tastes.

[swishman]

people are going to hate on cod but the fact is no other games compare to it, its 60fps gameplay on a console is unmatched. if another better game came along people would play it, but it doesn't happen. battlefield 3? after the hype has died the clunky gameplay and 25fps will of course drive people back to the better game, COD.
(I don't even play COD i play pc games, but i can objectively give u guys the facts on the situation)

[Temporary]

@Benrim

He explained in his msg why he feels it stifles sales...you may or may not agree, but he gave you his opinion.

[nukeitall]

@swishman:

It sure looks like it! BF3 didn't seem to do much to MW3, and now Black Ops 2 is doing even better despite all the hate.

Go figure!

Can't wait for my copy in the mail....

[B-radical]

True blops will sell tons. I dont know of i will pick it up yet. Im still waiting on the weres wally movie staring jim carrey

or waldo

[AfricanGamer9ja]

Im not suprised, like i always say for every 10 internet fanboys who hate this game they are 100 people in the real world ready to buy it. Hate it or love it you just gotta give it to COD,no matter how much you hate it people still love it.

[Captain Qwark 9]

agreed im not a fan myself, havent bought a cod since world at war but i dont understand the hate either. i may not like it but they are solid games every year and still one of the best shooters on the market. but for most internet fanboys its always one or the other, your not allowed to like halo, cod and battlefield or any combination of them just like your not allowed to like all 3 consoles or any combination of them lol. one or none

[GuyManDude]

@Qwark:

The reason people hate COD (myself included) is because it stifles sales of other games. Think about previous consoles. Although one game might have "ruled" when it came to multiplayer (Goldeneye, Halo 2, etc.) people still bought tons of games. They didn't play these games exclusively.

Go to today and there are literally millions of gamers who buy COD every year and either play only that game or a very small handful of others. I have several people in my friends list from the COD4 days who when I log on are always playing COD. Always. As in they play nothing else. I have friends who used to buy tons of games, and now that they play COD, they only buy 2-4 a year.

It's their right to play the game and only that game. I don't begrudge them. But it makes me sad that high quality games often struggle to sell, and a lot of that has to do with people who buy 3 games a year: COD, Madden, and whatever hot game is out that year (Halo, GTA, Gears, Uncharted, God of War, etc.).

[Heartnet]

@GuyManDude

Thats mainly because call of duty brought in a ton of people who wouldnt usually buy games at all.

For instance my uncle never plays games at all however when CoD mw2 or w.e came out and the press was all over it, it was on the radio etc, he had to try it out and so he bought a console for taht game.

Also alot of people play that game cause all their friends play it and so even if they dont like games per say they can keep with the trends if they play CoD.. ya get me?

[Ben_Grimm]

@GuymanDude

"because it stifles sales of other games"

Please explain, how does CoD stifle other games sales. If the people who play CoD and CoD only then how would they affect other games since they never had the intention EVER of buying anything else.

Maybe your friends and the other people who don't buy many games anymore is because games are 60 bux a pop. And their are a lot of high quality games this gen during the CoD craze that did sell a lot.

People have this strange idea that CoD is keeping all other games down and this is not true at all. There is always going to be a game that's on top, same thing with all entertainment media. There will always be a number 1 franchise, it's unfortunate that the hate and bitterness that comes with it cause people to believe ridiculous assumptions.

[Awesome_Gamer]

I hate kids, this game is trash, can't wait for this fad to finally die.

[AfricanGamer9ja]

I doubt this is a fad,this game has been going on for more than 6 years and it still breaks records,they most be doing something right for people to keep coming back. Im a 23years old UNI student and i still love COD,im far from a kid. That stero type about only kids play COD is a hypocrite saying.

[MRMagoo123]

Im 31 and i still play CoD this is by far the best one for a long time tho.

[EVILDEAD360]

'I know...Where I work its a small electronics department in a grocery store (not walmart) and it isn't that well known'

Why would you be suprised abouty the sales of video games in a small unknown grocery story for sales of a game that people are going to get pre-order bonuses, promotional incentives, and trade-in vslue for other games towrds the purchase. Plus the fact that you had the game in your hands at midnight. Clearly your grocery store didn't have a midnight launch.

There were Gamestops averaging 300+ preorders of Halo with well over 50% of the sales done in the first hour on a midnight launch in the area I got mine.

With that said, you could almost double that number when you add in Call of Duty. Plus, there may have been even more locations that ran the game. COD is a retail beast on both consoles.

More fans get the game earlier and earlier each year, despite the thoughts that popularity for the brand.

Evil

[FanboyPunisher]

Games that come out yearly have little to no added value; majority is reused assets and code.

Why pay full price for reused stuff?

SKIP ANNUALS, just like COD.

Why do you think the best games never come out yearly? Good games require time, while annuals require paying off reviewers.

MGS, Uncharted, etc etc never would be so good if they came out yearly.

SKIP TRASH. Dont listen to reviews listen to reality.
They reuse assets and code, nearly everything for annual releases; why keep this terrible cycle going?

[B-radical]

Um okay then

Halo 4 87% from 77 reviews (metacritic)

Black ops 2 (xbox 360) 85% from 38 reviews

Do the math mate

[AfricanGamer9ja]

@B-radical i dont see why you have to post review scores in a topic about sales figures.

[TheFreak]

Halo 4 scored 2% higher then Blops2 with 39 more reviews?

[Getowned]

LOL!!! @ the use of metacritic.

[abzdine]

How sad !
More CODs are coming then. Pathetic !

[beerkeg]

Lol, flip flop much?

This article -

'How sad !
More CODs are coming then. Pathetic ! '

Black Ops: Declassified PS Vita - Campaign Gameplay (First Mission) article -

'looks very cool and with Gravity Rush and Uncharted coming for free on PS+ next week i might be busy for quite some time. '

Haha.

[TheFreak]

Haha this just show it's cool to hate on cod and praise anything PS related on N4G. If not you are not a "real" gamer.

[r21]

Personally, I've been looking forward to BO2 and hating the BO Declassified(Nihilistic developing it and it looked crap) BUT after hearing so much positive things about it, I've changed my mind.

Now, I cant wait to play BO2 and BO Declassified :)

[abzdine]

i never play COD check my trophies man. looks cool against what the machine is capable of, doesn't mean i'm buying it.
I was talking about the graphics i say "it looks".

[HenryFord]

Saying "it looks cool" heavily implies that you mean the game looks cool, not the graphics of that game...

[aquamala]

Because the vita game is an exclusive, it hasto be good to the fanboys lol

[Hdz54]

wow he got owned. like I said on another thread, the two most common themes on N4g are:

1. Hate COD
2. Defend Sony products (lately been the Vita)

When those two things collide, I guess the blind love for Sony wins out. lol

[AfricanGamer9ja]

Why is it sad that people like a game you dont like? The world dose not revolve around your opinion.

[Fez]

Also,

This article -
'How sad !
More CODs are coming then. Pathetic ! '

Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified PlayStation Vita Commercial article -
'looks hot !'

Lol.

[majiebeast]

Industry is going to shit with these lazy ass sequels no need for new IP's when people just keep buying the same game with little improvement R.I.P to new IP's.

Only fps in 2012 that actually is fun and innovative is dishonored the others are just same old same old.

[jamesdean]

Dishonored was a great game but not sure if it fits in the fps category

[andrew171994]

its a first person shooter its just also an rpg..

[matgrowcott]

People not buying new IPs was the death of new IPs. You can't blame the mass market for that, you can only blame people who don't bother buying the games they claim to want at launch.

[Soldierone]

Borderlands 2 says hello..... :/ (It's a fantastic game)

[razrye]

wasn't that good

[totallysane]

I STILL cannot see the hype behind a new cod every goddam year. must be something im missing.

[Heartnet]

Then Play CoD and you might figure it out :)

[totallysane]

sorry i dont play shitty games that cost the same amount every year that are ruled by 12 y old little kids. will never play cod again

[kwiksilver99]

i dont understand all the hate for cod.i tried codmw2 and it was fun.the only reason i dont buy the cod series is because its priced way more than most ps3 games where i live,and by the time i can get my hand on a decently priced 2nd hand copy the next one arrives.lol
most of the people are bashing cod for being a product of lazy ass development but i like to rate a product for what it is,not what it could have been

[CynicalKelly]

Depends why you hate it. I love Call of Duty but MW3 deserved the hate it got and so does this. The maps are not bad in this and the create a class system is good but it all comes crumbling down when you start to play and nobody needs to aim.

It's like 80% accuracy with the SMG, say goodbye to good ol CoD and welcome to some noob haven.

[Heartnet]

so what if the accuracy is bad.. Every1 is on the same playing field however there will always be people who are better/worse than you..

So how are they better than you? Different tactics and gameplay are required in CoD than your more realistic take on the shooter...

and aiming is obv needed otherwise u cud look at the floor from spawn, shoot and ace the whole team..

and since the basics of CoD gameplay have been the same for around 2-4 years now saying "say goodbye to good ol CoD" is a terrible saying

[CynicalKelly]

@Heartnet
Aiming down the sight is a vital part of Call of Duty. It separates the casuals from the regular skilled players with quicker reflexes and accuracy.

It's now become a natural instinct to aim down the sight at medium to long range to shoot people which means I am being punished because everybody is blind firing with stupidly good accuracy. Taking out the need to aim down the sight is making this game unbearable to those who can play and a haven for those who can't.

Aiming in the general direction is all you need to do well now. The last game I liked was MW2, after MW3, I figured I would give it another chance, no point going off the franchise because of one game. But after seeing this mess, I am saying my goodbye, the saying is relevant.

[MikeMyers]

The hate is usually unjustified however there could be a few legitimate reasons why people are upset. The main reason is the power and influence behind the franchise. It can and does drown out other games because of its popularity. All that means to me is those other games need to try harder but the problem is most times they can't afford the same type of marketing. There are many diamonds in the rough that gamers often neglect or don't bother with.

Others reasons could be the reliability of the product. Games lagging, people glitching and cheating, acting like idiots online and so on. Each year they say they are going to crack down on these people so that everyone can enjoy the games online and each year we hear of problems.

What I don't agree with are those who rush out to Metacritic and rate it a low score for no apparent reason other than their dislike for the franchise as a whole (if that's the case then they should just ignore the games each year).

I do agree, the game should be viewed on its own merits, not stacked up against what it could have been.

[andrew171994]

its not even that its a big business its because its the same game over and ever again with just 1 or 2 new things.. its been running the same engine for 6 years? its not worth buying the only way id buy another cod game is if they actually put some time in to making the game playable..

[jamesdean]

New campaign,new guns and new maps not to mention zombies. It fun to play.

[CapsLocke]

And for that you ready to giveaway 60 dollars?

Oh man, this world is truly going to hell.

[EmperorDalek]

I fully agree with you, someone buying a game is the most horrible thing ever. God have mercy on us all.

[HenryFord]

The humanity! We will surely die soon because people could not be convinced that playing COD will eventually destroy the world. Stupid, stupid sheeple, those CoD-players.

[Mikeyy]

People buy Madden for a roster update every year.

Call of duty tries a lot harder then that, when they probably don't even have to /shrug

[matgrowcott]

What exactly SHOULD they add then?

If a whole new story, a ton of new guns and maps, plus a whole new way of playing a hugely successful spin-off mode isn't enough for you, what the hell is? Do you ever actually buy any games?

By those standards I can't see how anything can live up to your expectations.

[andrew171994]

its the same game for 6 years with the same graphics.. just more noobish stuff.. they ruin the game play and the skill of players and its not skill to just run around spraying and pre-firing.. its just annoying

[JRoyale]

The graphics are noticeably improved over the last title so maybe stop talking out of your ass.

[andrew171994]

its different developers than mw.. it runs the same engine as waw, and bo1.. the only thing thats different is that its in the future. things are a little bit mor complex graphics wise.. but it doesnt live up to expectations and the honor its given to be the top fps.it doesnt have graphics like crysis and gunplay like cs

[chukamachine]

Best cod game i've played.

[CynicalKelly]

So you have only played This and Modern Warfare 3 then?

[CynicalKelly]

Just wait a few weeks. We will a record breaking amount of games being traded in.

[Rupee]

Interesting... And still we see all these doom and gloom articles that say the gaming industry is dead.

[GraveLord]

"“GameStop sold more than one million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops II in one day. That’s just one retailer. One day. CRAZY”"

What? That's way too low.

"“Correction on the GameStop data: The million units were sold during the midnight launch period.”"

OK this makes more sense.

Congratz Black Ops 2 on your success! I have yet to play enough of the game to say whether the game is worth it. There's just so much stuff to play!

[WeAreLegion]

Played through the campaign. It's not a bad campaign, but it's certainly no COD, COD2, MW, or MW2. I don't think Treyarch has it in them to beat West and Zampella.

[Bladesfist]

The Infinty ward games are boring. At least treyarch tries to add new things. MW3 was just copy / paste.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I had a feeling this COD was gonna be crazy big. I think the change to futuristic weapons was just enough of a tweak to get the masses crazed for the game again.

[vallencer]

You know it really doesn't deserve the hate. At the core base yeah it's still cod but in reality you really need to play it. It's really really good and the pick ten system is awesome along with the giant zombie mode and the campaign with the strike force missions it's really good.

[GammaSix]

The fact that all they have to do is update the create a class system for people to claim its good is just sad

[Relientk77]

That's like a lot

[BlmThug]

May pick it up when it hits £25 or less

[Dno]

i have a bet with a couple of people on this site saying that GTA5 will NOT sell more then this.

Looks like i will be right.

[nano88]

Black ops 2 multiplayer sucks I mean real bad

[Hazmat13]

i love the storyline you guys gotta play! also stick around for the ending when frank woods rocks out! (literally). the storyline made it feel im not even playing a cod, zombies is fun as hell!

[Ve_Chuy]

YEAH!!! more COD for brainless people RUN & GUN RULES!!!!!!!!!

[isyourhouseonfire]

This is arguably the best game of this console generation, and is definately the game of the year. I'm glad, as gamers, we are getting repaid by these developers with increased quality.

[GraySnake]

i really hope that was sarcasm.

[optimus]

I don't get into treyarch's call of duties cause i feel the stories arn't that compelling...i gave black ops a try because it finally moved away from the ww2 era but i didn't feel it was very engrossing...once i finished it i hardly ever played it again...i suck at multiplayer because i don't have the time to invest in it like most people so if and when i do play it i end up getting killed every 5 seconds so it's never fun for me...therefore, i don't factor that in when i rate a game... I plan to buy this eventually once the price comes down just to see if it's any better than the 1st black ops.

[Double_O_Revan]

Sigh....and we wonder why companies don't bother with making innovative titles. I'm sure it might be a decent/good game, but we really need something new.

[-Gespenst-]

The fuq is wrong with you people?? Stop buying this sh!tting game.

[Steadyhndz]

The title is a little misleading...the expectations weren't "destroyed" they were actually very accurate. Just putting in my 2 cents on it, but other than that just another black ops 2 hype article.

[nerdkiller]

ppl that bitch about COD, secretly buy it and have a blast playing it with there fat online friends

[-IronMan-]

lmao cartoon graphics generic shooter. Keep on giving them more money. btw aimbot is already working on it enjoy ur deaths kiddies.

[demetrius_wright]

i have a question,if you hate/dislike a game why comment or keep up with it? no one is forcing you to buy anything. all CODs are the same? what about the nba 2ks,maddens,fighting games that add a few characters and a few moves,Mario games that have been doing the same thing for years? its simple for every 10 haters its 1000 people loving the game, why you mad bros?