Starting over a decade ago with 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved, Microsoft has announced that the entire Halo series has now sold 50 million copies to date.
Last month, Microsoft announced that the latest entry in the franchise — Halo 4 — has made $220 million in its first 24 hours of availability. It's now speculated that Halo 4 has sold four million copies to date, but of course, we''ll know the exact number once Microsoft releases it.
For reference, Microsoft has released seven Halo shooter games to date, but make it eight if you count the Halo Wars — the Halo RTS by Ensemble Studios. Here's a breakdown on each Halo game released and its release year.
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
Halo 2 (2004)
Halo 3 (2007)
Halo Wars (March 2009)
Halo 3: ODST (September 2009)
Halo: Reach (September 2010)
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition (2011)
Halo 4 (November 2012)
To date, most of the main entries of the Halo franchise was made by then-Microsoft exclusive studio Bungie, with 343 Industries tackling development duties for Halo: Combat Anniversary and Halo 4.
Aside from the sales figure reveal, Microsoft has also announced a free-to-enter Halo 4 tournament. Dubbed the "Halo 4 Infinity Challenge," it will begin on December 17 and will task Halo fans to compete on global leaderboards across the title's War Games and Spartan Ops modes for a chance to win prizes.
The tourney's grand prize is a UNSC-themed V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor truck designed by 343 Industries. Not only that, but the Spartan Ops tournament winner will be awarded with an in-game appearance in a future Halo game.
For those interested, you can register and check the contest details and rules out at the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge registration page.
Congrats, Microsoft and Master Chief! Needless to say, expect more Halo games in the coming years.
Are you one of the 50 million people who bought a Halo game? Should Microsoft expand the franchise a la Call of Duty or develop another brand?
Thanks, GameSpot
