Halo 4 is undoubtedly Microsoft's biggest game of the year. So just how well did it do for the publisher? Try $220 million (globally) in the first 24 hours alone!
In a press release posted on Major Nelson's blog, Microsoft states that the Halo saga eclipses the biggest movie launch in U.S. box office history and is on track to reach over $300 million in global sales in the first week.
Here's a few key excerpts from the press statement where Microsoft trumpets how it managed to beat not only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but also The Avengers movie, too.
In a year when Hollywood is rolling out its biggest blockbusters, one video game has eclipsed them all. “Halo 4” is on track to reach $300 million in global sales in the first week, making it the biggest “Halo” launch in history and the biggest entertainment launch of the year to date. In the first 24 hours of its release, “Halo 4” garnered more than $220 million worldwide, eclipsing the record for the biggest day-one opening in U.S. box office history, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” and the biggest movie of 2012, “The Avengers” – based on U.S. sales alone.
In addition to that, Microsoft has also revealed that lifetime sales for the Halo franchise is beyond $3.38 billion, which makes it one of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world. Halo 4 also managed to break the record for largest number of players in the history for the Halo franchise, with over four million players in the first five days, where users spent a total of 31.4 million hours playing Halo 4.
Microsoft did not, however, give a specific breakdown on Halo 4's sales figure. So, we're still unsure if we should just divide that $220 million to $60 and come up with how many units they've sold.
Will Halo 4 manage to keep its momentum with Black Ops 2 set to release tomorrow? I'm as curious as Microsoft and 343 Industries' people are in that regard. I take it Halo 4's sales was further helped by the fact that it's sitting atop a healthy 87 average on Metacritic.
Are you liking Halo 4 so far? Do you think it will still sell like hotcakes even if Black Ops 2 is available? FPS fans, which shooter do you prefer for your multiplayer fix?
