Halo: Reach has secured its place as the biggest US entertainment launch of 2010 so far. Within the first 24 hours of going on sale, the title has generated US$200 million in revenue across the United States and Europe. Microsoft hasn’t provided details on unit sales, but estimates peg Reach at about 3 million units sold on day one.
Based on US sales figures alone, Halo: Reach eclipsed the individual three-day opening-weekends of Hollywood blockbusters Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland, and Toy Story 3 – all in a single day.
Halo 3 managed US$170 million during its first 24 hours of sale, so Reach can proudly boast to have topped that. Impressive as all this is, it didn’t topple 2009’s Modern Warfare 2 as the launch day sales king. MW2 generated US310 million during its first 24 hours on sale.
Halo: Reach also cracked the most concurrent users record on Xbox LIVE, previously held by Halo 3. Bungie revealed this fact in a Tweet: “Reach already surpassed the all-time highest record for Halo 3 concurrent unique users on LIVE. Woot!” Woot, indeed. No exact figures were given however, so we’ll just have to take their word for it.
“Halo: Reach is the biggest game Microsoft has ever released, and its launch has already surpassed every game, movie and entertainment launch this year,” reiterated Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “Every major installment has grown in scope and popularity, firmly cementing the ‘Halo’ franchise as one of the most popular entertainment properties in the world over the past decade.”
Tens of thousands of retail stores around the world hosted midnight madness events to celebrate the arrival of Halo: Reach, the latest in a franchise hailed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most popular video game series of all time. At the new Best Buy Theater in Times Square, New York, several hundred lucky fans also witnessed a surprise musical performance by hip-hop sensation Kid Cudi.
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