SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Inc's latest title from its blockbuster "Call of Duty" video game franchise surpassed $1 billion in retail sales a day after its launch, the company said on Wednesday.
Activision shares were relatively unchanged at $16.63 in early afternoon trade on the Nasdaq.
The franchise's tenth installment "Call of Duty: Ghosts," a gritty military-themed shooter game, was released worldwide on Tuesday.
In cities like London and San Francisco, excited "Call of Duty" fans queued up at retail stores at midnight launch events. Activision hosted a glitzy pre-launch party in London to celebrate the release of the game, which was developed by Activision's Infinity Ward studio.
In September, Activision's smaller rival Take-Two Interactive Software Inc said its popular action-adventure game "Grand Theft Auto V" crossed the $1 billion sales mark after three days in stores. Take Two at the time said that marked the fastest rate of sales for any video game ever published.
Activision, which is also known for its "Skylanders" games, has been delivering a "Call of Duty" title every year over the last decade.
Last year, the game makers's first-person shooter title "Call Of Duty: Black Ops II" took 15 days to hit $1 billion in global sales after its November release. That game touched $500 million in retail sales on its first day.
(Reporting by Malathi Nayak; editing by Andrew Hay)