Yesterday, the gaming community at large heralded the release of Bungie’s sci-fi opus Destiny, and now that the game has survived its first day on the market and avoided any notable server problems — up to now, at least — publisher Activision has stated that day one sales of the anticipated title reached $500 million worldwide.
According to the company, this colossal figure positions Destiny as the most successful launch ever for a brand new gaming IP. That said, it’s worth noting the caveat that Activison placed on the impressive feat, which states that the figure represents “sold in” copies — i.e. to Microsoft, Sony and third-party retail stores — and not “sold through” to actual consumers.
Still, this is undoubtedly a remarkable debut for Bungie’s new kid on the block, and it’s also a debut that wholly validates Activision’s $500 million investment in the shared-world shooter. Speaking with CVG, the company’s UK General Manager Roy Stackhouse touched upon the vision for the game going forward, and how the July beta — which attracted close to 4.5 million players — served as a resounding vote of confidence.
“I think if you look at what we’re trying to achieve with Destiny, we’re basically putting out an IP that we believe is going to be around for an awful long time. We’ve focused on making it very immersive – both in the campaign and in the multiplayer – and we’ve already announced the first expansion pack that’s on it’s way this year. We view this as an IP we want in the market for a very long time.”
Speaking of which, it’s understood that the two companies plan to extend the in-game universe through add-on content and eventual sequels. For the time being, however, with these day one sales laying a rocksteady foundation, it seems Destiny is very much on course to becoming Activision’s next billion dollar baby.
