You may remember thatHalo 3sold$170 million in the first 24 hoursof release just in the United States. Well, a week has passed now and the numbers are in. Thissleeper hithas made $300 million worldwide. Not only that, but Xbox 360 console sales have almost doubled and nearly three million people have played on LIVE:
Within the first day of its launch, “Halo 3” players worldwide racked up more than 3.6 million hours of online gameplay, which increased more than elevenfold to 40 million hours by the end of the first week, representing more than 4,500 years of continuousgameplay.
4,500 years of continuous gameplay. God. Damn.
Even Bill Gates had a thing to say about all this:
“‘Halo’ is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of ‘Halo 3’ is animportant milestone for Xbox 360 and for video games as entertainmentand as an art form,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “‘Halo 3’embodies our vision for the future of entertainment, where some of theworld’s greatest creative minds will deliver a new generation ofinteractive storytelling.”
It’s been a good week for Microsoft to say the least.
And speaking of Bill, there’s a Xbox 360signed by him on eBaythat you’ll never be able to afford.
Hit the jump for the full “yeah, we f*cking rock” press release from Microsoft.
Global Entertainment Phenomenon “Halo 3” Records More Than $300 Million.First-Week Sales Worldwide
Xbox 360 console sales almost doubled; nearly 3 million gamers playonline via Xbox LIVE.
REDMOND, Wash. – May 16, 2025 – Interactive entertainment will never bethe same, with the launch of one title that has changed the way theworld thinks about video games. “Halo(r) 3” has captured the attentionof consumers worldwide and has made history as one of the biggestentertainment launches of all time.
Microsoft Corp. today announced that “Halo 3” has officially become aglobal phenomenon, garnering more than $300 million in sales in thefirst week alone. The critically acclaimed Xbox 360(r) exclusive, whichwas released worldwide on Tuesday, Sept. 25, is the fastest-sellingvideo game ever and already one of the most successful entertainmentproperties in history.
Initial reports from retailers worldwide show console sales have nearlytripled compared with the weekly average before the launch of “Halo 3.”With games such as “Halo 3,” “Madden 08” (EA Sports), “Mass Effect”(Microsoft Game Studios) and “Rock Band” (Harmonix), Xbox 360 has thegreatest lineup in the history of video games and is the only consolewhere consumers can play all the year’s biggest blockbusters.
“Halo 3” is quickly staking its place as the most popular Xbox LIVE(r)game in history with members gathering in record numbers to play on theworld’s largest online gaming and entertainment network on TV. More than2.7 million gamers have played “Halo 3” on Xbox LIVE in the first week,representing nearly one-third of the 7 million Xbox LIVE membersworldwide. Within the first day of its launch, “Halo 3” playersworldwide racked up more than 3.6 million hours of online gameplay,which increased more than elevenfold to 40 million hours by the end ofthe first week, representing more than 4,500 years of continuousgameplay. Since “Halo 3 launched,” gamers have unlocked nearly 30million achievements. In its first week alone, “Halo 3” drove a recordnumber of Xbox LIVE Gold Memberships as hundreds of thousands of newmembers gathered online with friends, family members and other gamersaround the world to collectively compete and complete the game.
“Halo 3” is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where “Halo2″ left off, answering questions about the fates of the belovedprotagonist Master Chief(tm) and his artificial intelligence sidekickCortana as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the handsof the alien coalition known as the Covenant. In addition to the richstoryline, “Halo 3” continues the franchise’s grand tradition ofdelivering innovative online multiplayer experiences via Xbox LIVE. Thegame’s online multiplayer and innovative four-player cooperativegameplay for Xbox LIVE Gold users, the much-talked-about Saved Filmsfeature that enables players to capture and save their favorite momentson their hard drives, and Forge, an innovative map editor that enablesmyriad customization options, are just some of the new features gamersare experiencing.
Developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, the“Halo” franchise is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game andentertainment system and optimized for the Xbox LIVE onlineentertainment network. “Halo 3” was released in 37 countries and 17languages. To date, more than 20 million copies of the games in the“Halo” trilogy have been sold worldwide.
Record week-one sales come on the heels of the previously announced $170million in sales in the U.S. within the first 24 hours of the game’srelease, which marked not just the biggest video game launch, but thebiggest entertainment launch in history. The Xbox 360 title beatprevious U.S. sales records set by blockbuster openings forentertainment events such as the release of “Spider-Man 3” and “HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows.” In addition, more than 1.7 millioncopies of “Halo 3” were pre-ordered in the United States, making it thefastest pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previousrecord-setting pre-sales of “Halo 2.”
