Previously, Microsoft went on record to say that they were hoping that Halo 3's launch would pull in $155 million, beating Halo 2's $125 million launch and even eclipse the record setting movie Spider Man 3's $148 million. So, you can bet that the Microsoft execs are grinning ear to ear today with their $170 million haul. Full press release after the break.
Congratulations Bungie, you guys did an amazing job.
Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game "Halo 3" has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, 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 blockbuster theatrical releases like "Spider-man 3" and novels such as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
"Halo 3" is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where "Halo 2" left off, answering questions around the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief and his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant. In addition to the rich storyline, "Halo 3" continues the franchise's grand tradition of delivering innovative online multiplayer experiences via Xbox LIVE, the world's largest social 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, it's also redefining entertainment. Within the first 20 hours alone, we've seen more than a million Xbox LIVE members come online to play Halo 3 – that makes September 25 the most active Xbox LIVE gaming day in history."
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 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 genuine entertainment phenomenon and our customers have responded very enthusiastically to the release," said Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy.
Developed by Bungie Studios, the "Halo" franchise is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and optimized for the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network. The more than 7 million Xbox LIVE users will get a continually evolving gaming experience with "Halo 3." Its online multiplayer and cooperative gameplay for Xbox LIVE Gold users, the much-talked-about Saved Films feature that enables players to capture and save their favorite moments on their hard drives, and Forge, an innovative map editor that enables infinite customization 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 Los Angeles, 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 Ludacris and Zac Efron and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
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, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of "Halo 2." 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.
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 will have a portfolio of more than 300 games and will be available in nearly 40 countries by the end of 2007. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360. About Xbox LIVE Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects millions of members across 25 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies in the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.
About Bungie Studios
Bungie Studios was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve its real goal of total world domination. Over the past 10 years, it has produced games such as the "Marathon" trilogy and the first two "Myth" games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. Bungie's "Halo" franchise is an international award-winning action title that has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.8 million units worldwide, logging nearly one billion hours of multiplayer action on Xbox LIVE, and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel and more. "Halo 3," the final installment in Bungie's epic "Halo" trilogy, released on Sept. 25 to critical acclaim and record setting sales. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-27-2007 @ 11:05AM
Jonah Falcon said...
Bill Gates at his office last night:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1369/1444824917_22d984d802.jpg?v=0
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9-27-2007 @ 11:11AM
Knight Marquise said...
This is fantastic news! Congrats to MS, Bungie, and all the Halo Fans worldwide.
Halo 3Regular Edition: $60.00
Halo 3 CE: $70.00
Hale 3 Legendary: $130.00
All the Sony Fanboys & Halo Haters in counseling now: Priceless
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9-27-2007 @ 11:13AM
chris said...
And they're not making a Halo movie why??
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9-27-2007 @ 11:15AM
Paul said...
anyone ever figure out what the announcement was that bungie was supposed to make right when halo 3 came out?
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9-27-2007 @ 11:16AM
xenocidic said...
Halo: a license to print money
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9-27-2007 @ 11:16AM
Jonah Falcon said...
The "Big Surprise" were the scratched discs. :p
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9-27-2007 @ 11:18AM
tastybytes said...
what was the net profit after xx billion in advertising/hype for a copy of mediocre game?
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9-27-2007 @ 11:18AM
Cazamalos said...
"But Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold a book industry record-setting 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release, according to Associated Press and Bloomberg News reports. Allowing for discounts, at $25 a copy, the book would have generated $207.5 million on its opening day.
We called and e-mailed a Microsoft spokeswoman Wednesday for clarification on the Halo 3 vs. Harry Potter smackdown, but we have yet to hear back."
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9-27-2007 @ 11:19AM
Jonah Falcon said...
May 24: "Industry analysts Goldman-Sachs are estimating that with this epic conclusion will come epic sales — grossing well near $170 million in the first available quarter."
Hah! First quarter? FIRST DAY.
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9-27-2007 @ 11:20AM
Jonah Falcon said...
@tastybytes: Just curious: what is your method of suicide going to be?
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9-27-2007 @ 11:29AM
Bravo6 said...
The $170 is US numbers only?
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9-27-2007 @ 11:34AM
Knight Marquise said...
Tastybytes~
You really should head on back to your counseling class. You come here trash Halo, yet you've signed up to win the Halo fan swag...hmmmm hypocrit?
Really..you should renounce your entry's in the fan swag give away.
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9-27-2007 @ 11:34AM
MakeInu said...
I need to go pick up my copy now!!! And add to those lovely little numbers... lol
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9-27-2007 @ 11:34AM
Shape said...
"Allowing for discounts, at $25 a copy, the book would have generated $207.5 million on its opening day."
Of course, Amazon was selling it for just $17. I'm willing to bet that a few people got it through Amazon. I know my wife did.
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9-27-2007 @ 11:36AM
PeacefulOutrage said...
@Cazamalos
Is that US-only? Makes you wonder about those numbers sometimes. Also, this is insane. Anyone who can read can use the book. Halo 3 requires an xbox360, among other things to use with a significantly higher cost of entry. We hear people saying Halo 3 was over-hyped. Try to watch a 1hr football game in less than 3hrs. You will be assaulted with commercials for stuff that has been out for ages. Beer, cars, etc. Halo hasn't been over-hyped, we are just at ground zero so that's what it seems like. I only recall MS saying it will be the best Halo yet and claiming it will break sales records. You decide if they succeeded or not.
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9-27-2007 @ 11:44AM
Magic Whiskey said...
Honestly...this kinda lets me down.
Apparently the Legendary didn't sell as well as I'd expected; I'd have assumed Halo 3 would have topped $250 mil already by now (I read something months ago on TeamXbox that referred to $250-300 mil opening night)..but $170 is nice, don't get me wrong!!
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9-27-2007 @ 12:03PM
Tim said...
Well if you like decorating your room with plastic toys that's up to you. I for one only needed the regular edition and I was happy to get it.
I've gotten rid of every collection/toy/non-electronic-thing save 1, my John Locke figurine.
I am 20 years old.
LOST
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9-27-2007 @ 12:05PM
White-Sharingan said...
and all that money will revert back down by all the scratched discs xD
seriously though who wouldnt doubt it? they had a $130 game, that made it earn a lot more xD
now if only there was a $150 Halo 2 game when it launched ^^
anyways congrats bungie
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9-27-2007 @ 12:05PM
Scott said...
Beat it last night. It was not over-hyped at all. Amazing end to an amazing trilogy. Congrats Bungie!
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9-27-2007 @ 12:17PM
rcholbert said...
Nobody paid $25 for the last Harry Potter book. Books are almost never sold at the MSRP, in fact most retailers have their own specific tags that they through over the manufacturer's UPC because they don't even bother with them. Amazon had it for $17, as previously mentioned, and Wal-Mart and practically every other retailer had it for $17.99 or less. If you do the math WITH A CORRECT RETAIL PRICE, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows grossed just under $150 million.
This would be like Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios claiming that the MSRP for Halo 3 was $99, $120 and $200 for the regular, CE and Legendary editions, and thus totally inflating their sales numbers.
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