Call of Duty: Black Ops Sells $360 Million on Launch Day, Is New 'Biggest Entertainment Launch Ever'

Call of Duty: Black Ops sold-through an estimated $360 million in the first 24 hours in North America and the UK alone, Activision has announced, leading the publisher to declare the November 9 launch the new "biggest entertainment launch ever." It had previously bestowed the title upon Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Treyarch's Cold War-era shooter sold through approximately 5.6 million copies in North America and the United Kingdom, according to Activision's internal estimates, while Modern Warfare 2 only managed a paltry 4.7 million copies back in November 2009.

"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 $550 million," boasted Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.

Activision has also pledged to "find 1,000 jobs for veterans" and is donating $1 million from the sales of Cod Blops to the Call of Duty Endowment, a "non-profit, public benefit corporation" which helps service members with job training and placements.

"This Veteran's Day, we should all take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices that the brave men and women of our military are making in service of our country," said Kotick. "It is a national tragedy to have these men and women put their lives on the line in Afghanistan and Iraq, only to come home to face another battle of finding a new career... I am honored that we are able to use the popularity of Call of Duty to bring much needed attention to this serious issue and assist veterans when they return home."

Call of Duty: Black Ops was released on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS. It hasn't been the smoothest launch, though, as a number of bugs and exploits have been reported, particularly on PC. Activision social media manager Dan Amrich has urged players to report them through the correct channels and act with civility.