Yeah, Call of Duty: Black Ops may have sold a number of copies during its first few days of availability, but like any summer blockbuster it seems to have quickly fizzled out. It’s the video game equivalent of a popcorn flick: giant opening weekend followed by a pirouette off a cliff.
Of course, not that Activision cares: they’ve already made at least $650 million.
But the numbers, at least from the UK, suggest that Black Ops has seen an 85 percent drop in sales, comparing the second week of availability to the first. That’s probably what a gigantic marketing budget will get you: huge first week sales, everyone who wants the game gets it, then it falls back to Earth.
You’ll recall that fancy-pants analysts doubted whether or not Black Ops would reach the same kind of penetration that its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2, did.
But again: $650 million will sooth all wounds.