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.