It’s “the biggest game Microsoft has ever released,” said Phil Spencer, the corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, in a statement. “Every major installment has grown in scope and popularity, firmly cementing the ‘Halo’ franchise as one of the most popular entertainment properties in the world over the past decade.”
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":213886,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,games,","session":"B"}']The game went on sale at midnight at tens of thousands of retailers worldwide early Tuesday. At $60 each, the number suggests that Microsoft sold 3.3 million units in a day. (However, some of the game bundles are more expensive).
The game is a proper exit for Bungie, which has developed the Halo series since the first game launched in 2001. Bungie is moving on to a new gaming universe, and Microsoft’s 343 Industries studio will take over the Halo games in the future. Bungie sure knows how to go out with a bang. Now the lifetime sales of Halo games have topped $2 billion.
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The new release eclipsed the previous bestseller, Halo 3, which was released in 2007 and generated $170 million in its first 24 hours. Microsoft said that Halo: Reach sales were bigger than the three-day opening weekends of blockbuster movies such as Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3. I’m two-thirds of the way through the single-player campaign, which has excellent variety.
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