Halo 3 Sells $300 Million in First Week

[Andy Chalk]

Halo 3 Sells $300 Million in First Week

Xbox 360 [http://www.halo3.com]sales.

That mark follows its record-setting first-day sales total of Gold Membership [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/77341]subscriptions since Halo 3 was released.

"Halo is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of Halo 3 is an important milestone for Xbox 360 and for videogames as entertainment and as an art form," said Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. "Halo 3 embodies our vision for the future of entertainment, where some of the world's greatest creative minds will deliver a new generation of interactive storytelling."

Retailers are also reporting that worldwide console sales have more than doubled their weekly average prior to the Halo 3 launch. The game, which dominated not only other videogames with its launch but also all previous movie and book launches as well, also set a record as the fastest pre-selling game of all time, with over 1.7 million Halo 3 preorders reported in the U.S. alone.


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[Anton P. Nym]

That actually didn't surprise me. With the preorder surge you noted and the advertising campaign, I expected Halo 3 to run up the revenue ladder this quickly. I almost bet someone that it'd sell 3 million copies in the first week, too. (Pity I chickened out.)

What does surprise me is the blip in Japan, where Halo 3 managed to bubble past Pokemon and Final Fantasy into first place last week. I thought it'd make the top five, perhaps, but at no time did I think it'd hit #1. If it manages to stay in the top 5 next week I'll be seriously impressed.

It'll also be interesting to see if the hardware sales bubble will last, as Microsoft must so dearly hope.

-- Steve

 

[Bongo Bill]

That it made gobs of money quickly doesn't surprise me. That it made three hundred megabucks in one week surprises me a little bit. However, what surprises me most is how well it did in Japan [http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/10/somehow-halo-3-.html].