Black Ops II Reaches The Billion Mark In Record Time

Despite earlier claims by analysts that suggested Call of Duty was on the sales decline, the latest entry into the long running franchises, Black Ops II, reached the $1 billion mark a day faster than the previous record holder, Modern Warfare 3.

Claims earlier last month that Black Ops II sales were 15% lower than Modern Warfare 3 raise some rather interesting questions however; has Black Ops II actually outsold Modern Warfare 3? The original statement from analyst firm Sterne Agee back in November reads:

“We believe unit sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops II are tracking down double digits year-over-year… Our checks show initial sales of CoD: Black Ops II at some retailers were down as much as 20 percent. Subsequently, it appears sales of CoD did pick up a bit over the Thanksgiving holiday. We think the current sales curve suggests CoD: Black Ops II unit sales in its first year could ultimately be down 10 percent to 15 percent year-over-year.”

Could the analysts simply be wrong? Black Ops II also grossed more than Modern Warfare 3 on it’s opening day, reaching $500 million against Modern Warfare 3′s $400 million. What’s even more interesting is that the original Black Ops sold 5% more than Modern Warfare 3, suggesting a decline as well. It is also possible that Call of Duty is grossing more each year, all while selling less units.

In a nutshell, there really is no decline.