Call of Duty®: Black Ops™ Delivers Engaging Online Experience that Connects Millions of Players Everyday

The Number of Registered Players Exceeds the Populations of Austria, Belgium, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden and The Netherlands

Gamers Have Played More than 600 Million Hours Since Nov. 9 Launch

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- In addition to surpassing the $1 billion sales milestone in just six weeks, Treyarch's Call of Duty®: Black Ops™ from Activision Publishing (Nasdaq: ATVI) is also setting online usage records that illustrate how the game has become one of the leading global entertainment experiences of all time.

Indicators such as social media, time spent online playing and retail sell through of Call of Duty: Black Ops are just a few of the signs pointing to an online phenomenon that took hold with the game's debut last month.  The number of registered players exceeds the populations of such countries as Austria, Belgium, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden and The Netherlands -- suggesting that the $1 billion sell through mark only at the level of dedication that players worldwide have for the game.

The total number of registered Call of Duty: Black Ops players:

• Is greater than the audiences that watched Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien and Craig Ferguson in the U.S. for the entire week of December 6, 2010, combined.
• Exceeds the audience for the series finale of ABC's Lost.
• Trumps the average viewership for the 2010 Major League Baseball World Series.
• Exceeds the combined audited circulation numbers for Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Playboy, GQ, Maxim, Newsweek, Time, ESPN The Magazine and Sports Illustrated.
• Would be the third largest state in the U.S.

Since its launch on November 9, Call of Duty: Black Ops players:

• Have played more than 600 million hours, or the equivalent of more than 68,000 years.
• Have turned out in numbers that could fill the 83 largest stadiums in the world, every day.
• Have spent an average of 87 minutes per day playing online, exceeding the 55 minute average that the average user spends on Facebook.  
• Have made Call of Duty: Black Ops a top-five trending topic on Twitter, putting it on par with The Grammy Awards, Diego Maradona, The Chilean Miner's Rescue, The Boston Celtics and Mel Gibson.  

"Media is evolving and today the social aspects of technology are more important to the overall entertainment experience than ever before," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. "Call of Duty creates a shared sense of identify for its community and is as integral to their social lives as any other form of digital communication."

"The $1 billion milestone is staggering, but it doesn't tell the whole story," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.  "The true measure of Black Ops' success lies in the millions of hours that people are investing in this game and this community. Call of Duty has in many ways become one of the world's most engaged social networks. We are grateful to and humbled by the ongoing support of the gaming community and we are committed to continuing to give them the greatest gaming experiences that we can."

Call of Duty: Black Ops is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Language.  For additional information about the game, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com. 

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.