Reuters reported that Call of Duty: Black Ops set a first-day sales record of 5.6 million copies of the game sold for roughly $360 million in first day sales.  The first-day sales results beat out last years Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 which sold 4.7 million copies its first day, but went on to be one of the most sold games ever made at over 20 million copies sold.

Digital entertainment is down across the board in this economy and entertainment software has not escaped from the down turn.  Last month, the trade association for the computer and video game sector, Entertainment Software Association, better known as the ESA, released their annual sales, demographics, and usage data report.  In it, the ESA reported that the industry as a whole fell off by $1.2 billion.

Considering the state of the economy, and sales figures like the ones for Black Ops the indication is that the video game industry and its part in the digital economy seem to be fairly stable.  And for the tens-of-thousands working in the sector, this is most likely great news!

[Cross–posted at Digital Society]