Halo: Reach tallies $200 million on launch day
One of the most anticipated releases of 2010, the game sees sales in a single day top those of any other release so far this year.
Halo: Reach generated $200 million in global sales on launch day, Microsoft Game Studios Vice President Phil Spencer announced at the Tokyo Game Show today. Reuters first reported on the news.
Spencer said Halo: Reach, which launched on Tuesday for the Xbox 360, generated more revenue in a single day than any game or movie so far in 2010 in the U.S. The game ranges in price from $60 for the standard edition on up to $150 for the "legendary" edition. Microsoft did not say how many units were sold.
Big launch days are nothing new to Microsoft and the game's developer, Bungie. In 2007, Halo 3 became the biggest entertainment launch in history, tallying $170 million in a single day in the U.S. It was eventually trumped by Grand Theft Auto IV's $310 million launch-day sales in 2008 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's $401.6 million launch last year. Modern Warfare 2 eventually went on to generate over $1 billion in sales.
Halo: Reach was easily one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The game is a prequel to the original Halo, and its story takes place a few weeks before the events of the first title.
Further reading: The final word on Halo: Reach