Halo 5 Becomes Biggest Launch In Franchise History, Sets More Records

Microsoft announced today that Halo 5: Guardians has surpassed $400 million in global sales of games and hardware. These figures push the franchise to over $5 billion lifetime sales. The game has also become the fastest-selling Xbox One exclusive to date. The game was the most played of any on both the console and the internet gaming service, Xbox Live.

Fans have logged 12 million hours in campaign mode so far and nine million hours across all multiplayer modes. The Halo 5: Live launch countdown broadcast that aired last week was the most watched of all time, reaching a peak of more than 330,000 unique streams that night. This, Microsoft says, led in part to Halo 5: Guardians becoming the best-selling digital game ever in the Xbox Store for an opening week.

“The success of Halo 5: Guardians is a testament to the innovative work from the entire team at 343 Industries to bring this installment to Xbox One and the incredible community of fans who have come to love the story, characters and gameplay central to the franchise,” said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox. “The game represents all the possibilities of Xbox One and has earned its place as the anchor title in the greatest holiday games lineup in Xbox history.”

The statement does not say how many copies the game has sold. The game was met with favorable reviews when it launched last week, despite some initial launch errors. While critics thoroughly enjoyed the multiplayer, many found the campaign mode lacking.

Halo 5: Guardians is available now for Xbox One.