The most pirated game of the year also attracted record numbers of legal users in 2010 as it turns out. I'm not sure how those two groups of players do or do not bleed together in Activision's statistics, but the publisher has announced that more than 20 Million "Black Ops" players have run around shooting things together for more than 600 million combined hours.
"Media is evolving and today the social aspects of technology are more important to the overall entertainment experience than ever before," Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. "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."
Activision has already claimed more that $1 billion in global sales since "Black Ops" launched in November, and they want the world to see what they've created as more than just a first-person-shooter and recreational activity.
"The $1 billion milestone is staggering, but it doesn't tell the whole story," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said. "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."
Does that mean that we could see Kotick portrayed in a critically acclaimed biopic soon in theaters? Would there be a part for Justin Timberlake to play? Sadly, I think you could probably make a pretty compelling film based on Activision's history of drama and the anecdotal tales surrounding the Infinity Ward firings. I'm no director, though. Maybe Uwe Boll would be interested.
Do the numbers that "Black Ops" has produced this year shock you? Do you see the game as a social network? Share your responses with us in the comment section below.