Skip to main content

Call of Duty: Black Ops is now the best-selling game in U.S. History

Market research firm NPD has released its figures covering video game console and game sales for February 2011, and finds that overall U.S. consumers spent 3 percent more on video games during the month than they did a year ago. Overall, Americans put some $1.36 billion into games and consoles during the month, up from 1.33 billion in February of last year. Console sales in general were up a surprising 10 percent, although the amount of month consumers spent on games was down 5 percent compared to last year. However, the real winner was console accessories, which jumped 22 percent over sales figures from last year, owing in large part to the success of Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect motion sensor controller.

This month also recorded a new milestone for Activision and developer Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops, as the title is now officially the best selling game of all time in the U.S., with 13.7 million copies sold in America alone.

Recommended Videos

Microsoft just announced it has sold 10 million Kinect controllers, making it the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in history.

Overall, NPD found the top-selling console of the month was the Xbox 360, followed by the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PlayStation 3. NPD no longer releases specific sales numbers for consoles or game titles, leaving it to publishers and manufacturers to release those figures if they like. Microsoft says it sold 535,000 Xbox 360 consoles last month—a jump of 27 percent, year-on-year—while Nintendo reports selling 454,000 Wii units during the month. Sony hasn’t released sales figures, but industry reports put February PlayStation 3 sales in the range of 400,000 units.

NPD found the five top-selling games in the U.S. market for the month were Call of Duty: BlackOps, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Just Dance 2, NBA 2k11, and Dead Space 2. Call of Duty: Black Ops has been available since November, and NPD says it’s now the bestselling game in U.S. history, surpassing sales of Wii Play.

NPD found sales of portable systems like the Nintendo DSi and Sony PSP fell 27 percent during the month. Although portable gaming is expected to get a boost when Nintendo launched the 3D-capable Nintendo 3DS in the United States next month, the overall trend for portable gaming seems to be leaning towards smartphone and tablet platforms.

Geoff Duncan
Former Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
The best Augments in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
A screenshot from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's zombies mode.

Longtime fans of the Zombies mode in past Call of Duty games are no doubt loving the return to the round-based structure Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has taken. Between the Perks, Pack-A-Punch machines, and Easter eggs, there's already a ton of content to explore in the first two maps. Whether you're new to the mode or know all the tips and tricks from past games, there's one element that has most players scratching their heads. Augments are hardly explained in Black Ops 6 and are largely ignored because of this. However, ignoring this mechanic will only make life harder for you and your team. We've done all the research required to tell you how Augments work and which ones you should try to get first in Black Ops 6.
How Augments work in Black Ops 6

In short, Augments are equippable passive perks that add an additional minor or major effect to either a Perk, field upgrade, or ammo mod. Each one of these has six possible augments -- three minor and three major -- that each give a different buff. But there are two things you need to do before you can even begin tinkering with these Augments.

Read more
Black Ops 6 might be the biggest Call of Duty release ever
Soldiers near a train in Black Ops 6.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is on track to be the most successful Call of Duty release in the franchise's history thanks to a record-breaking launch, according to Activision and Microsoft.

The companies revealed that Black Ops 6 had the biggest three-day opening for the series by many metrics. It had the most players, most hours played, and the most total matches, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter). The game also got a shout-out during Microsoft's quarterly earnings call on Wednesday.

Read more
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies: tips and tricks for beginners
A bunch of characters standing around with guns getting attacked by flying giant bugs in Call of Duty's zombies mode

After the backlash surrounding the Zombies mode in Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has returned to the round-based roots we all know and love. Well, the structure might be familiar, but this mode has more than its fair share of new tricks that will see you getting swarmed in seconds if you can't learn to adapt. If you're familiar with how Call of Duty handles its Zombies mode, you will know that there's a lot more you need to know besides just shooting zombies if you want to make it to the later rounds. If you want to survive as long as possible, we have the key tips and tricks to withstand the zombie horde in Black Ops 6.
The basics still apply

There are a few tips from past Zombies games that will serve you well here in Black Ops 6 that are worth a quick reminder. Starting off with the need to conserve ammo in the early game. Zombies are weakest in the first handful of rounds, but ammo is incredibly scarce. You can't count on getting more when you need it, so save as much as possible and try to melee as many zombies as possible. Only shoot if you get swarmed, need to save a teammate, or when a boss or elite shows up.

Read more