Activision has gone over the launch-day figures for the latest Call of Duty game and once again declared the latest instalment the biggest-selling yet. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 sold-through an estimated $500 million in its first 24 hours on sale, according to data from market research firm Chart-Track and its own internal sources. You may personally be growing tired of annualised Call of Duty sequels, but the world certainly isn't.

"With first day sales of over half a billion dollars worldwide, we believe Call of Duty is the biggest entertainment launch of the year for the fourth year in a row," Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick declared in this morning's announcement. "Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded worldwide theatrical box office receipts for 'Harry Potter' and 'Star Wars,' the two most successful movie franchises of all time."

Last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 made $400 million in the first 24 hours, while the original Black Ops raked in $360 million in 2010, and Modern Warfare 2 made $310 million the year before that. Launch-day excitement continues to grow at a steady pace, then.

As a point of comparison, Halo 4 made $220 million in sales in its 24 hours, though of course it's a single-platform game. Retailer GameStop declared that the biggest launch of the year only a few days ago, but that didn't last long.

"Call of Duty has become more than a product people buy, it's a brand people buy into," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg added in the announcement, which really is a bit of an unpleasant thing to boast about. "And every November we do more than just the launch of a game, we kick off an annual, unofficial but worldwide phenomenon called the Call of Duty season."

Cod Blops 2 hit PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, and arrives for Wii U alongside the console's launch on Sunday. Check out our review of its single-player campaign or, if you're a grumpy naysayer, this Doom 2 mod poking fun at modern linear FPSs may be more up your alley.