Destiny Revenue Hits $500 Million in 24hrs

Publisher Activision says its cross-gen shooter Destiny has accrued more than $500 million in revenue since the game launched on Tuesday.

That money comes from retailers ordering the game, coupled with business from first parties, Activision says, which suggests it's not an indicator of sell-through or popularity. Activision has not revealed sales units.

Nevertheless, Activision says the figure makes Destiny "the biggest new video game franchise launch in history".

However, the game has not outsold other existing franchises. Grand Theft Auto V, for example, made about $800 million on its first day.

Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick said the revenue figure was an "industry milestone" which "marks another blockbuster success for our company and demonstrates our unique ability to create some of the most successful entertainment franchises in the world".

Due to a range of factors, such as the relatively low installed base of next-gen consoles, and the declining interest in last-gen systems, it would be unlikely that Destiny could outperform the major games released in 2013.

Last year, Activision's other major core franchise, Call of Duty: Ghosts, made more than $1 billion in its first 24 hours.

Kotick concluded: "The success of Destiny, along with the recent introduction of Blizzard Entertainment’s Hearthstone, is further validation of our unique capabilities to create great entertainment franchises from the ground up.”

Eric Hirshberg, chief executive at Activision Publishing, added that Destiny "is officially the biggest new franchise launch in our industry’s history. It’s also the highest-selling day one digital console release in history.

"We have more confidence than ever that Destiny will become one of the iconic franchises of this generation and Activision’s next billion dollar brand. Most importantly, it’s just a great game which we can’t stop playing. A big thanks to our incredibly talented team and partners who helped make this happen; most importantly, our partners at Bungie."