GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Black Ops is UK's best-selling game ever - Report

Already the United States' biggest game ever, Treyarch's Cold War era shooter dethrones Modern Warfare 2 in Europe, selling some 3,722,411 units since its November debut.

136 Comments

Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops was crowned the United States' best-selling game of all time in March, when it was revealed that the game had sold 13.7 million units. Now, the blockbuster shooter has become another region's biggest game of all time.

What's next? Biggest game in the universe?
What's next? Biggest game in the universe?

According to Gfk ChartTrack (via CVG), since Call of Duty: Black Ops arrived in the United Kingdom in November, it has sold 3,722,411 total units as of June 25. That figure makes the Cold War-era shooter the UK's best-selling game of all time, ahead of previous top-spot holder Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which has sold 3,702,41 in the region.

The last official United States sales tally for Call of Duty: Black Ops comes from February, when the game reached sales of 13.7 million units. Further, the shooter has likely sold many more copies than that, as it has graced the NPD's top 10 software list every month since.

As for how many total units Black Ops has sold worldwide since its November debut, Activision has not said. However, one analyst pegged the title as selling 20 million units. Combining the official US tally of 13.7 with the UK's 3.7 brings Black Ops' total haul to 17.4 million, a figure quite close to 20 million.

And Black Ops continues to grow. Today, Activision released the $15 Annihilation map pack for the shooter on Xbox Live. The content packs in four new multiplayer maps and one fresh zombie level. It is expected to arrive on the PC and PlayStation 3 at a later date.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 136 comments about this story
136 Comments  RefreshSorted By 
GameSpot has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to toxic conduct in comments. Any abusive, racist, sexist, threatening, bullying, vulgar, and otherwise objectionable behavior will result in moderation and/or account termination. Please keep your discussion civil.

Avatar image for crushing666
crushing666

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

dead serious. BF is full of nerdy gamers. COD is for everyone.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for jasonzilla11
jasonzilla11

1147

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 27

User Lists: 0

@crushing666 I do hope that's sarcasm. Battlefield is much more serious than COD, and have you seen some freakout vids of Black Ops? Woah. But Black Ops is still my favorite COD, and frankly, I'm not surprised its the best-selling.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Infinity_Gauntl
Infinity_Gauntl

735

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 10

User Lists: 0

I returned BO's . I though it was a pill of junk compared to MW2

Upvote • 
Avatar image for crushing666
crushing666

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

COD is for the cool kids BF is for nerdy gamer geeks and people who get owned like a b!tch in COD

Upvote • 
Avatar image for nasimvapico
nasimvapico

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

COD Black ups was a great FPS, despite what dumb and narrow minded people say

Upvote • 
Avatar image for PixelAddict
PixelAddict

2237

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 12

User Lists: 0

The negative comments about Black Ops remind me of a Yoga Berra quote: "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded"

Upvote • 
Avatar image for sune_Gem
sune_Gem

12463

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 9

User Lists: 0

Sometimes, I just don't get humanity...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Smartiepants
Smartiepants

389

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Why are people getting so worked up about this? Why do you throw a tantrum and insult people if your favourite game isn't the bestseller? Don't dismiss everyone who plays CoD because YOU prefer another game. At the same time, CoD fans need to remember that being the bestselling game ever doesn't mean it's the best game ever. Be tolerant of other tastes, people.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for bjgemini
bjgemini

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Unrightfully deserved; I find this game mediocre fun at best, to throw the disc at a wall in frustration bad. There's better games that deserve to be the top selling in two major gaming countries.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for annoyingdevil
annoyingdevil

1222

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

...in usa 2500 they finaly stop milking with call of duty 2500 cyborg warfare.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for annoyingdevil
annoyingdevil

1222

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

Call of duty is ruining gameing games like uncharted 3 will probably get decent sales. If your goana milk something atleast give it a good story..

Upvote • 
Avatar image for annoyingdevil
annoyingdevil

1222

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

I ask 20 people do u have portal 2,mk9,rdr or la noire they all say no

Upvote • 
Avatar image for santinegrete
santinegrete

6773

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 46

User Lists: 0

@Edged_out: corrected. @johnners2981: it's a game from a game, why not go for the real thing, at least for watching it in TV :P?

Upvote • 
Avatar image for itachi100
itachi100

1067

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 56

User Lists: 0

I've always wondered why mediocre games sell so damn much... This series gets way more than it deserves.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for stage_2
stage_2

37

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

-sigh- it should have been Duke nukem forever.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for yyhreigan
yyhreigan

49

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@ mrzero1982pt2 Obviously you have fun after playing it...otherwise you wouldn't be here defending it? There's name calling and trash talkin' on BOTH games, more on CoD because...you guessed it....MORE PEOPLE PLAY IT. As for Gamestop having confirmed more pre-orders for BF3, here's a newsflash for you. BF3 was announced way before MW3, lol. Get it? MW3 was only officially announced like what, a month ago or so? It's only logical it has BF3 more pre-orders. Talk to me in November, when MW3 breaks the record for most pre-orders like MW2 and Black Ops did. Then all of the little "Call of Camping" haters can go back to groaning and moaning and praying for a "CoD killer" to appear next year. xD

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mrzero1982pt2
mrzero1982pt2

1796

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@yyhreigan i play battlefield and have fun. everyone has fun while playing it. after a game, folks say good game, and go on their way or send messages to everyone. on call of camping i get tons of insults and the n word and f word too. OH! gamestop has confirmed WHAT has more preorders than call of duty? BATTLEFIELD. the end of call of duty may have already begun.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for HLno1
HLno1

139

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

lol at the people who say that we shouldnt read these articles. I read what I want, in fact the piece of news appeared in the GS initial page right in front of me. "oh i dont like the game i cant read it" lol how much stupidity. Its NEWS

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Edged_out
Edged_out

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@santinegrete its not soccer its Football, you have a ball you kick it with your foot easy Football. Now American footbal ? You have an egg shaped thing and you hold it in your hands, American Egghand ?

Upvote • 
Avatar image for ThatManTrama
ThatManTrama

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

SLAMT1LT wrote : Ok, you've sold enough copies now and have more money than you can spend....now lower the price so us poor people can by it! Agreed! But i already have the game though :)

Upvote • 
Avatar image for zeekita
zeekita

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

COD haters are the new COD fanboys. - just as vocal, just as annoying, just as unproductive.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for yyhreigan
yyhreigan

49

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@ mrzero1982pt2 You say that as if everyone camps, 100% of the time, which would simply be false. If you have trouble with campers, then you're doing something wrong, there's always many ways to get someone out of their camping spot, so really, campers are free kills that leave when they realize their camping isn't helping them. That is a really lame excuse. If that is the reason people go to BF from CoD, then I am glad they are gone, the community doesn't need anymore people who try to tell others how to play. Every FPS has camping, it's not the game's fault, it's the people playing it. Also,Call of Duty is WAY faster and more frantic than BF, it's just the way the game was made to be. I don't want slow gameplay, I don't really care about graphics and super realistic physics in a game where I am forced to have a good team to have fun and where the gameplay is so slow and boring, so I dislike Battlefield. If you like it, well, good for you. That is awesome I suppose.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for lyncer777
lyncer777

143

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

Kids these days tsk tsk tsk...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mrzero1982pt2
mrzero1982pt2

1796

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@yyhreigan i say this to everyone who says battlefield is SLOW. are you saying in call of arcade the gameplay is sooooooo fast when someone is camping the entire match? i do not think camping is fun or should even be looked at as cool. i had call of duty up to black ops(traded it in a week later) and every session the highest scoring person CAMPED. is that fast? no, it means you sat online looking at foks on youtube to find the bomb camping spot, sit up there and shoot the entire time, taking the fun out of the game for EVERYONE, even the winning team. you want to make games like this fun, get away from camping and play. its called BATTLEFIELD because everyone is a moving target. everyone shoots at least point blank. get familiar.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mrzero1982pt2
mrzero1982pt2

1796

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

even my friends in the uk can admit the game is crap. wait, they do every time i play with them

Upvote • 
Avatar image for ggregd
ggregd

850

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

Take a deep breath. OK. Look in the mirror an tell yourself: "I am are not diminished if my favorite shooter is not number 1. I am not diminished even if my favorite shooter is number 100. I am [state your name], I love games, I love myself, and dammit, I'm special!" Play what you friggin' like.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Lone_Recon
Lone_Recon

309

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

I give it two more iterations before it turns into Guitar Hero.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for DDHOAMK
DDHOAMK

46

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

And once again the industry is one step closer from scrapping the bottom of the sh1t bucket.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for subtenko
subtenko

157

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

What a sad day in gaming... let that series die already... overrated POS

Upvote • 
Avatar image for oneofthefall
oneofthefall

494

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

I love this game the best call of duty yet! shame about WAW being ruined because it is over run by child hackers and glitchers, Black OPS is a solid and fun multiplayer experience though and not really that surprised by the news! Just to get things straight im not a kid either im a 28 year old gamer.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for johnners2981
johnners2981

243

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

@santinegrete what do have against "soccer" games?

Upvote • 
Avatar image for GhostHero333
GhostHero333

45

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

Call of Duty will be the best selling game in the world it just may not be Black Ops my money is on Modern Warfare 3.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Inmate_69
Inmate_69

96

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Game is selling like hotcakes. Activision is going to ride COD until the wheel falls off like they did with Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for marxux_1
marxux_1

64

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

I dont simply get it why do kids buy this game???

Upvote • 
Avatar image for santinegrete
santinegrete

6773

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 46

User Lists: 0

Even if it isn't the best CoD in it own right, I'm so glad it beat football videogames. I'm talking about soccer in a country (and mine) where that beatiful sport is so popular that is offensive to call it 'soccer'.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for DarthJohnova
DarthJohnova

4599

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

Don't worry guys, Zumba Fitness will have the last laugh!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Lugia_120
Lugia_120

129

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

It's hypocrisy to criticize the british people.It's USA top selling game as well.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for yyhreigan
yyhreigan

49

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I am aware my previous comment is just my opinion, and that is the problem with all the moronic haters out there, they think their opinions are facts when really, they are not. The fact CoD is best seller year after year proves that, so just go back to playing your BF and your Halo and stop reading CoD stuff just to try to convince other people not to play it. It won't work lol. Stop wasting your time. ;)

Upvote • 
Avatar image for yyhreigan
yyhreigan

49

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Well it's easy to see why there's people who hate Black Ops posting comments all over the place in these articles. They are clearly jealous that CoD has so much more success that their beloved little series, like BF and Halo and whatnot. So they gather on the internet to make themselves feel better about their game by thrashing the competition with silly, non-sensical comments. CoD has a lot of flaws. A LOT. But it more than makes up for those flaws with that particular "X-Factor" that makes a person want to go back and play it over and over and over again. The multiplayer may not be anywhere near as "realistic" as BF, and the graphics may not be nearly as good, but they don't need to. Even if the last three CoD titles have been basically the same, the small changes to the perks and weapons and the new maps are enough to keep me playing and spending money. I tried BF, and in my opinion, it is terrible. I don't care about realism, and destructible environments, the gameplay is just SO FREAKIN' SLOW. Boooooring. Same for other FPS shooters, they're just not smooth after playing CoD, the only shooters on the same league, in my opinion, are Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and TimeSplitters. That's it.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Bufta
Bufta

248

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

I can just imagine bobby kotick writhing about on a mountain of dollar bills in the nude, whilst laughing at all those poor folk. You know sheik abu dabih, donald trump, and richard branson.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for SLAMT1LT
SLAMT1LT

38

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Ok, you've sold enough copies now and have more money than you can spend....now lower the price so us poor people can by it!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for x-2tha-z
x-2tha-z

8994

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 18

User Lists: 0

The most annoying thing about people with CoD Rot, is that they don't know they have it. They wonder why they can't enjoy any game other than CoD. I see them in the forums, talking about one game or another. Talking about how this game is too slow, and that game is too boring, but others like it and it's had great review scores...COD ROT. Do yourself a favour and leave CoD alone. Preferably for a very, very long time.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for demondogx
demondogx

288

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

remember the alternative armors ,special spells, bonus levels, extra chars ,bonus maps & all other extra's in games that you would unlock with either skill,side quest or completeing a game once ? welcome to the year 2011 where we unlock them with oure credit cards

Upvote • 
Avatar image for vishnuvanjara
vishnuvanjara

80

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

go ahead

Upvote • 
Avatar image for daabulls23
daabulls23

1223

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

The game keeps selling, and Activision won't change a thing.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for rainydayreality
rainydayreality

61

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 0

Call of booty: Crap ops

Upvote • 
Avatar image for 5529319
5529319

197

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

for me, Modern Warfare 1 - Very good, like seriously World at War - Okay. . . Modern Warfare 2 - Getting old, but still very good Black Ops - Pushing it waaay too hard. I mean, why sacrifice resources on a zombie mode when you could polish up other things??? The zombie mode is, if I may, a stupid mode.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for CLOCKWORKIAN
CLOCKWORKIAN

455

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

I find it curious how worked up people get when they find out about X game selling more than X game. In the long run, how much a game is selling doesn't mean that it's the best game of all time. For example, I assume that the newest Transformers movie will get number one in the box office this weekend but I am very positive that no one will think that it is the best movie of all time. I understand the frustrations of seeing a game that you adore not getting nearly as much in sales and attention as other games but just remember that this latest best selling title will eventually be dethroned just as the others that have gone before it. But the games that you love and want to be at the top of a bestselling list aren't going anywhere in yours or many other gamers' memories. That's what counts.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for MarbskiE
MarbskiE

29

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

publisher wants more money, fans buy repetitive game and have fun with it regardless. both are happy! so what's to b*tch and moan about that? your favorite game don't have as much fans as that game has? fans have lotso' money and spend it on a repetitive game and you don't so you can't? FYI, not everybody likes the same game as you AND not everybody has the same financial hindrances as you. so live with it! lol.. :D

Upvote • 
Avatar image for X_Colbert_X
X_Colbert_X

995

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

The more CoD games sell, the more other companies will strive to emulate the formula for similar sales. The fact of the matter is, every time one copy is sold, it promotes this trend of half-baked singleplayer campaigns, premium-priced add-ons, and diluted multiplayer gameplay. If this trend continues, I fear for the future of the FPS genre :/

Upvote •