No reviews? No problem. Destiny day one sales top $500 million

Screw first-day reviews. Bungie don't need 'em. The developer's newest blockbuster video game released yesterday, racking up more than $500 million in sales to retail stores and first parties worldwide. It's important to note, however, that this doesn't necessarily indicate how many copies have been "sold through to customers," making it hard to gauge exactly how successful the game has been. Still, that didn't stop Activision from touting it "the biggest new video game franchise launch in history."

"Since the beginning, we've been confident that our investment and belief in Destiny would pay off. But not many people believed we'd be able to say it did so on day one," said Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "Destiny is officially the biggest new franchise launch in our industry's history.

"It's also the highest-selling day one digital console release in history. We have more confidence than ever that Destiny will become one of the iconic franchises of this generation, and Activision's next billion dollar brand. Most importantly, it's just a great game which we can't stop playing. A big thanks to our incredibly talented team and partners who helped make this happen, most importantly, our partners at Bungie."

Destiny launched at over 11,000 midnight openings around the world, Activision added. While the game is off to a hot start — and well on its way to becoming the next billion-dollar franchise — Bungie maintains they have built a game designed to last for an entire decade. So while we, Activision, and Bungie can celebrate the day one success, it's important to keep a level-head when looking at the future of the franchise. Bungie has already revealed two-post launch expansions included in Destiny's Expansion Pass, but I'm looking forward to seeing their long term plans unfold.

We've yet to post our review for Destiny as we were a little late to receive a copy, but don't worry because Metacritic's users have got you covered. It's good for a laugh at least.