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Xbox 360 Exclusive "Halo 3" Registers Biggest Day in US Entertainment
> History
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> with $170 Million in Sales
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> 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."
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> "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.
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> "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.
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> 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."
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> Retailers have also expressed their excitement about the launch of "Halo
> 3."
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> 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."
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> "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.
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> Developed by Bungie Studios, the "Halo" franchise is exclusive to the
> Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and optimized for the Xbox
> LIVE(r) 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.
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> 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.
>
>
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> About Xbox LIVE
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> 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.

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