Activision expressed concern months ago that Call of Duty Ghosts would have to gain steam at retail, because the impending launch of the PS4 and Xbox One were going to slow things down. Looks like Activision was bluffing. Today, the company announced it has sold $1 billion worth of Call of Duty Ghosts games in 24 hours.
Those sales results are jaw-droppingly good to begin with, but GameStop has confirmed that Call of Duty: Ghosts is also the retailer’s most-preordered next-gen title. With a smaller upcoming install base of PS4 and Xbox One owners, it’s not like COD: Ghosts is going to make another $1 billion on Nov. 15 and 22, respectively, but it’s safe to say Activision will be celebrating all the way to the bank.
Since its release yesterday, Call of Duty Ghosts has moved to the #1 spot as the most played game on Xbox Live, according to Microsoft. Additionally, Activision confirmed that on the Xbox 360, average player sessions for Ghosts have been longer than either Black Ops II or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, during the same time period.
“The team at Infinity Ward has delivered yet another epic thrill ride in the campaign, and what I think is our best multiplayer game yet,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “This is the must have launch title for the next generation of consoles, and we expect Call of Duty: Ghosts to be the most successful launch title for the Xbox One and PS4 by a wide margin.”
Call of Duty: Ghosts launched at 15,000 midnight openings around the world. Fans around the world shared their excitement in social media, with Call of Duty-related terms trending an astounding 20 times globally on Twitter in the last 24 hours.