Game publisher Activision has dubbed "Destiny" as the most successful new video game franchise launch of all time. On its first day, the first-person shooter has already shipped over $500 million worth of copies worldwide, with 11,000 midnight openings in 178 countries.
In the company's press release, CEO of Activision Blizzard Bobby Kotick said:
Based on extraordinary audience demand, retail and first party orders worldwide have exceeded $500 million for Destiny. This industry milestone marks another blockbuster success for our company and demonstrates our unique ability to create some of the most successful entertainment franchises in the world. 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."
While some may argue that other video game releases have earned more in the first 24 hours, Washington Post points out that "Destiny" is the first of its franchise – an untried game, so to speak. Granted, "Grand Theft Auto V" sold almost 12 million units on its first day, amounting to over $800 million in sales; "Diablo III" grossed $3.5 million; and "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" earned $500 million; but these games already have a loyal following, and the titles are widely known in the gaming community. "Destiny," on the other hand, is totally new.
Bungie, the developer of the game and the same outfit that created "Halo," says "Destiny" is a shared-world shooter rather than a traditional MMO (massive multiplayer online) game. Set in a post-apocalyptic open-world setting, Its gameplay is described as dynamic – events in the game may happen which are not controlled by the developers.
Eric Hirshberg, the CEO of Activision Publishing claims that "Destiny" is the "highest-selling day one digital console release in history", that it is bound to become "one of the iconic franchises of this generation", and it's on its way to becoming "Activision's next billion dollar brand."
