Riley the dog wins big as Call of Duty: Ghosts hits No. 1 on next-generation consoles

The cheeky joke among gamers is that the big innovation in Call of Duty: Ghosts is Riley the dog. And Riley has come out on top as Activision announced today that its title is the No. 1 most-played Xbox One game on a worldwide basis.

Call of Duty: Ghosts is the No. 1 game in North America at retailers Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Walmart. In standalone Xbox One software retail sales, the game is also No. 1 in the United Kingdom, according to GfK Chart Track, a entertainment marketing and research firm in England. Being in first place in gaming during the holidays is a big deal, since games have become one of the dominant sectors where consumers spend their entertainment dollars. Call of Duty: Ghosts sold-in to retailers more than $1 billion in sales in its first three days on the market. With sales like that, Call of Duty is one of the world’s biggest perennial entertainment properties.