activision

Call of Duty: Black Ops has surpassed the $1 billion worldwide sales mark after just six weeks of availability, Activision announced today.

That milestone joins a growing number of impressive feats the title has enjoyed since its launch on November 9.

In just its first day of availability, Call of Duty: Black Ops tallied $360 million in worldwide revenue, easily besting its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which generated $310 million on its launch day.

The game then followed that up with the biggest entertainment launch in history, making $650 million in its first five days of availability. Modern Warfare 2 made $550 million during its first five days on store shelves.

It took Modern Warfare 2 until January--approximately two months--to reach the $1 billion worldwide sales figure Black Ops surpassed in six weeks.… Read more

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that a World of Warcraft-playing bot violated the online game's terms of use, upholding a lower court's 2008 decision against the so-called Glider software, and issuing a permanent injunction against its use.

The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled (PDF file) that the MDY's Glider bot--which helps WoW players by automatically playing early levels of the massively popular game--is a breach of a contractual covenant. In a post on their Virtual World Law Blog, lawyers at the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman explained that the decision largely follows … Read more

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said he has the recipe for beating the Call of Duty franchise. But, he says, it will take a couple years to achieve that goal.

Speaking in a recent interview with video game blog Kotaku, Riccitiello said that the key to beating Call of Duty is to "make a better game." Once that job is complete, Riccitiello told the gaming blog, his company will need to "make a better game again."

Citing Metacritic (which, like CNET, is owned by CBS), Riccitiello said that he'd like to see a first-person shooter … Read more

Activision released sales figures yesterday that showed Black Ops, the latest release in the Call of Duty franchise, tallied over $650 million in revenue during the game's first five days of availability. That figure easily bested the previous record of $550 million set by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

But with two years of record-breaking launches under its belt, the onus is now on Activision to deliver high-quality and perhaps most importantly, fast-selling, titles each and every year. And no one understands that pressure better than Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg, who heads up the Activision side of … Read more

And just like that, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's $310 million launch day revenue record has been shattered.

Activision announced today that Call of Duty: Black Ops, which launched on Tuesday, generated about $360 million in revenue during its first 24 hours of availability, according to the game company's internal estimates. The figure includes sales from North America and the U.K., Activision reported. The game company was quick to point out that Black Ops is now the "biggest entertainment launch in history," stealing the title from its predecessor.

It wasn't just Black Ops' … Read more

Somewhere between the Greatest Generation and Generation X lies a vast expanse of American history. Though World War II is safely enough in the past to explore freely, and our current war on terror close enough to inspire (occasionally uncomfortable) ripped-from-the-headlines games (and plenty of movies, books, and television), that great middle section has been largely unexplored by interactive entertainment--until now.

Dan: With a mighty stroke of the virtual pen, the Call of Duty series has single-handedly brought everyone's attention to the Cold War era. But this is not the Cold War of John le Carre or James Bond; instead the brutal small-arms firefights and squad skirmishes feel more like today's unconventional warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, just redesigned for a different decade. It's modern warfare, just in a slightly less modern package.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Often, the most effective way to tell a story is through time-shifting and indirect symbolism; it's pretty much the foundation of the narrative experience. Interestingly, this particular setting is uniquely underused in video games--compared even with the Civil War or various ancient conflicts. I'm not sure there's an adequate explanation as to why there have been so few Vietnam-era games (and even fewer Korean War games); perhaps the baby boom generation controlling the purse strings of game developers and publishers felt it off-limits, or inaccessible to younger gamers who had not lived through the tumultuous era. … Read more

It's apparently going to be a better year than expected for Activision Blizzard.

The World of Warcraft developer announced yesterday that its third-quarter revenue grew to $745 million, up from $703 million it posted during the same period in 2009.

The company also reported a $51 million profit, representing a gain over the $15 million it tallied in third quarter last year. Its adjusted earnings of 12 cents a share beat Wall Street expectations of 9 cents, according to the Associated Press.

In the first three quarters, Activision Blizzard's revenue stood at over $3 billion. Last year, it … Read more

Over the last decade or two, the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly extended the First Amendment's formidable legal shield to the Web.

In 1997, the justices tossed out the Communications Decency Act, saying Congress could not outlaw making "indecent" material available on the Internet. Last year, the law's benighted successor met the same fate, as did a law targeting animal cruelty videos that the court rejected in April.

Today the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on whether to grant video games the same favored kind of laissez-faire treatment.

Unlike those other cases, the law in … Read more

Professional skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk is back on CNET's The 404 Podcast to show off his newest video game Tony Hawk: Shred, a biography written with his sister, the Tony Hawk Foundation Stand Up for Skateparks events, and much more!

It's been almost a year since Tony Hawk first came on The 404 . Obviously a lot has happened since then, and Tony updates us with a legendary story about the aftermath of the pelvic injury he suffered earlier this summer while headlining the Action Sports Weekend at Disneyland.

Getting up after falling off the skateboard has always been an important lesson to Tony, and he talks about that central theme a lot in his new book, "How Did I Get Here: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO." Written with his sister, Pat Hawk, the book details his rise to success in the skate industry, and Tony is certainly a pioneer in terms of bringing skateboarding to new media.

The original success of the Tony Hawk: Pro Skater brand obviously paved the way for skate gaming, and Tony's back again with a new game called Tony Hawk: Shred. Shred takes a new angle on the franchise and aims for the younger market.

It features similar motion-sensing board control as Ride but transformes the experience with impossible skate and snowboarding tricks, building jumps, and cameos from pros like Louie Vito, Geoff Rowley, Corey Duffel, and more. And like all the Tony Hawk video games, the soundtrack features a variety of genres and artists, including Rival Schools, Jimmy Eat World, OK Go, and more. Tony Hawk: Shred comes out next Tuesday, October 26, for Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3.

After the break, Tony describes the importance of giving back to the skating community and his two charity events called Stand Up for Skateparks. The huge parties galvanize BMX riders, skaters, celebrities, and fans alike in an effort to raise money for high-quality public skateparks in low-income areas throughout the country.

Tony stresses the importance of not only making sure kids are safe in the parks, but also that the parks maintain a level of Tony Hawk quality. The next party is happening in Las Vegas on November 6 and will feature a performance by DJ Z-Trip--tickets are still available here!

There's plenty more to talk about with Tony, including some of his favorite skate videos, tips for future skate entrepreneurs, and the truth behind his involvement in the original "Back to the Future" movie!