Some sales numbers are out folks and they are solid. Here are the interesting nuggets from the press release pushed out his evening. Now, obviously, these numbers have been rounded down to play on the 666 but even these prove this has been a stellar launch.
Diablo 4 Sales Press Release
Blizzard Entertainment’s fastest-selling game of all time* blazed past $666 million in sales in less than a week since its June 6 launch, exceeding the worldwide box office of all horror films released in 2023 combined. If Diablo IV were a movie, it would have had the biggest launch week of 2023**.
Diablo IV’s launch success extends a lengthy winning streak by Activision Blizzard. Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was the highest grossing entertainment launch last year, crossing $1 billion in sell-through worldwide in the first 10 days following its Oct. 28 release. Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 attracted 25 million players in the 10 days following its Oct. 4 launch. And King’s world-famous Candy Crush franchise has been the top-grossing franchise in U.S. app stores for over 10 years.
Those wins are driving the gaming industry to greater heights. Some 2.9 billion people—more than one of every three on the planet—played a video game in 2021, according to an EY gaming industry survey. Pop the hood of the global entertainment and media industry and you’ll find gaming functioning as its engine. According to Pwc’s latest outlook on the sector: “Gaming, with its immersive experiences and virtual items, is [paving the way to] the next generation of digital advertising, entertainment and brand experiences.” Noice.
But enough about that. Let’s dive into Diablo IV.
By the numbers
Here’s a look at Diablo IV’s first week:
- 276 billion total monsters killed since launch
- 317 million player deaths (…time to git gud)
- 276 million total hours played since early access (that’s more than 30,000 years, or enough time to watch everything on YouTube with 13,500 years to spare)
- More 166 million player parties created (party on!)
- 5.8 million total deaths served by The Butcher
- 430,000 players killed in PvP battle
- No. 1 on Twitch from early access on June 1 through June 9, breaking previous Blizzard records for hours streamed and watched over a similar period