[PRESS RELEASE] 'Halo 3' Breaks Records, Faces
Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game “Halo 3” has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in the history of world (even going back to caveman times), garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360 title beat previous records set by theatrical releases like “Beverly Hills Ninja” and novels such as the Left Behind spin-off “Stuck Between.”
“Halo 3” is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where “Halo 2” left off - which picked up from where "Halo 1" left off - answering questions around the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief, his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana and his pet monkey Dr. Farts as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant aka "The Roswellians." In addition to the rich and gooey storyline, “Halo 3” continues the franchise’s grand tradition of delivering innovative online multiplayer experiences via Xbox LIVE, the world’s largest dating and personals network on TV.
“Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “Not only is “Halo 3” setting sales records and redefining entertainment, as we speak, it's also working on a plan to save healthcare in this country.”
Retailers have also expressed their excitement about the launch of “Halo 3.”
Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for GameStop Corp commented that, “With consumer demand for Halo 3 and related products, we expect it to be the biggest video game title generator in GameStop's history. The turnover rate on Halo games is high so we make a buttload of cash on used sales."
“The initial demand we’ve seen for ‘Halo 3’ has been astounding, and the game is on track to become the number one gaming title of all time. ‘Halo 3’ is a phenomenon and people are eating it up,” said Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies, games and lunch at Best Buy.
Developed by Bungie Studios and nursed by the Mothers of Microsoft (MoM), the “Halo” franchise is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and optimized for the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network and specially tweaked to work on your PERSONAL TV SYSTEM®. Its online multiplayer and cooperative gameplay for Xbox LIVE Gold users, the much-talked-about Shoot-and-Run feature that enables players to run and shoot, and Forge, an innovative map editor that enables infinite shooting-and-running options are just some of the new features to experience.
More than 10,000 retailers hosted Midnight Madness events to celebrate the launch of this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise. In New York, Seattle, Miami and Pensacola, Microsoft and retail partners hosted marquee launch events that featured contests and appearances by local celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the “Halo” franchise, including Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike.
More than 1.7 million copies of “Halo 3” were preordered in the United States before a single store opened its doors at midnight, Sept. 25, making this the fasting pre-selling game in history, and the most money ever put into an intangible promise. Well beyond just a U.S. phenomenon, the launch of “Halo 3” was a worldwide celebration that released in 37 countries and available in 17 languages and dialects including, but not limited to, Ebonics, Canadian and Gay Frenchman.