Activision's new 'Call of Duty' game rakes in $550 million in three days

[November 12, 2015] (Reuters) - Videogame maker Activision Blizzard Inc said "Call of Duty: Black Ops III" generated more than $550 million in global sales in the first three days after its Friday release, setting the tone for the crucial holiday quarter.

On Sony's PlayStation 4 console, "Black Ops III" set a record as the best-selling digital game by units sold on its first day, Activision said on Wednesday.

The videogame, a military first-person shooter like the earlier "Call of Duty" games, is set in a dystopian future in 2065, 40 years after the events of prequel "Black Ops II".

Activision has generated significant revenue from the "Black Ops" series, with sales of "Black Ops II" exceeding $500 million worldwide within the first 24 hours of its 2012 release.

The company launched a film and TV studio last week to create original content based on its popular franchises such as "Call of Duty" in its latest push to expand beyond console-based games.

Another much anticipated videogame this season, Microsoft Corp's "Halo 5: Guardians" raked in more than $400 million in sales globally in its first week after launching last month.

Other blockbuster videogames in the holiday quarter include Electronic Arts' "Star Wars: Battlefront" and action role-playing game "Fallout 4", published by Bethesda Softworks.

"Star Wars: Battlefront" is set to release next week, a month before Disney releases "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, while "Fallout 4", a videogame about charting through a nuclear wasteland, went on sale worldwide on Tuesday.

Activision's shares were little changed at $33.73 in morning trade.

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan and Sai Sachin R in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

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