Video game enthusiasts in the United States plunked down about
US$170 million?on copies of "Halo 3'' in the United States
alone in the 24 hours after the Xbox 360 game went on sale, making
it the biggest launch in entertainment history, according
to?Microsoft Corp. Wednesday.
Industry analysts had pegged the number somewhere in the range
of US$150 million. International numbers have yet to be released,
but the?exciting?sales figures for the US?may
indicate the?number could easily reach US$300 million.
"'Halo 3' has become a pop-culture phenomenon,'' Shane Kim,
corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said in a
statement.
The game, which was developed by Microsoft-owned Bungie Studios,
completes the saga of helmet-clad Master Chief and his quest to
save humankind from aliens.
Fans pre-ordered more than 1.7 million copies of the game, and
more than 10,000 stores opened at midnight Monday to start selling,
according to Microsoft. The much-anticipated launch was marred only
slightly by reports that limited-edition packaging left scratches
on game disks.
"The initial demand we've seen for 'Halo 3' has been
astounding,'' Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at
Best Buy, said in a statement.
A character from the
Microsoft Xbox video-game, Halo 3, stands watch over a
line of people waiting to be some of the first to purchase their
copy, at a electronics store in Bellevue Washington, September 25,
2007. (Reuters photo)
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, right, hands
over an autographed copy of Halo 3 to the first customer
Ritesh David, 17, of Bellevue, Wash., at the midnight release of
Halo 3 video game for the Microsoft Corp. Xbox 360 at the
Best Buy store in Bellevue, Wash., September 25, 2007.? (AP
photo)
(Associated Press September 28, 2007)
