The Division Breaks More Sales Records, Passes Destiny

Ubisoft's third-person shooter The Division generated more than $330 million worldwide in its first five days, representing a new record for the company--and the industry overall for a new franchise--during that time. That's according to Ubisoft, which touted The Division's strong performance in a press release today. As announced previously, The Division was already Ubisoft's fastest-selling game ever, breaking 24-hour sales records for the Paris-based publisher.

"The Division taking the top spot in the industry for first week sales of a new franchise is a tremendous achievement," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said in a statement. “The Division is the latest example yet of our unique ability to deliver immersive gaming playgrounds that keeps players engaged and that they eagerly share with their friends and community."

Not only is The Division breaking Ubisoft sales records, but it is also reaching new heights for "player engagement." Ubisoft said the game passed 1.2 million peak concurrent players over the weekend. So far, players have spent more than 100 million hours in the apocalyptic version of Manhattan.

By comparison, Activision's Destiny grossed $325 million in its first five days after launch in 2014. Destiny players also accrued 100 million hours in that game during launch week, Activision reported.

"On top of record-breaking sales, player engagement is the highest ever for any Ubisoft title, demonstrating, among other things, that our investments in our online infrastructure and services are paying off," Ubisoft online services VP Stephanie Perotti said. "We are delivering an online experience that's on par with the best in the industry, and that matches the quality and connectivity demanded by The Division and its players."

Ubisoft's $330 million figure for The Division is the estimated worldwide revenue as of March 12 from physical and digital game sales, according to first-party reports, sales charts such as GFK Chart-Track, retail customer sell-through, and internal estimates.

The Division's strong out-of-the-gate performance is not too surprising. Ubisoft previously said the game had the potential to join Destiny, Watch Dogs, and Assassin's Creed to become one of the biggest new IP launches ever. Now, it sounds like The Division has exceeded all of those games and sits at the top.

Launch last week is just the start for The Division, as free updates are coming in April and May, while paid expansions will follow further into the summer. For more on Ubisoft's plans to support The Division after launch, you can read GameSpot's interview with the developers.