Activision announces the worldwide launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops, calling Treyarch's new military shooter sequel the most anticipated title of the year. "From the beginning, we focused our entire studio on creating the most immersive Call of Duty experience ever," said Treyarch Studio Head Mark Lamia. "Treyarch wanted to give Call of Duty fans the ultimate entertainment package this year. Black Ops delivers an epic and cinematic single player experience, an incredibly deep multiplayer offering, and endless hours of co-op fun with Zombies." Here's more on the game:

Call of Duty: Black Ops takes players around the globe, behind enemy lines, in the deepest and most intense Call of Duty® experience ever. The title raises the bar for online gameplay with an arsenal of features, including unprecedented player customization fueled by an all-new in-game currency system, new Wager Match gameplay modes, Theater video recording capabilities to capture favorite gameplay experiences, Combat Training and more. The Call of Duty: Black Ops’ launch follows a record-setting number of midnight openings worldwide, as thousands of retail outlets opened their doors at midnight to deliver the first copies.

On related notes, according to gamrFeed Black Ops has already racked up 4.5 million preorders (thanks Digg); Activision's Dan Amrich blogs to report bugs on the Call of Duty: Black Ops Forums (thanks Eurogamer); and Eurogamer has a video of the first 15 minutes of gameplay for those who like that sort of thing.