Looks like Microsoft called it -- they topped Spider-Man 3's sales. Hell, they topped a lot of things, but can you honestly be surprised by this news? Halo 3 has become the biggest selling item in US entertainment history.

"Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Not only is "Halo 3" setting sales records, it's also redefining entertainment.

Looking back at everything, it's hard to imagine that Microsoft bought Bungie for only $50 million.

One can only imagine whats the next big game will be now that the trilogy is over. Whatever it will be, it's going to have to have a really good multiplayer aspect. How good? Good enough to have nearly five million matches, 1.2 million playing the co-op and about 403 million enemies killed all within the first 24 hours of the games release. It's going to be interesting to see the spike in Gold accounts sales over the next week or so (after the Best Buy promotion is over and the free 48 hours of live that came with the standard edition of the game are used up of course). 

Also, if you're interested in seeing constantly updated stats of say, how many Grunts have been killed, Scarabs destroyed, Flood creatures killed and pretty much every single kill stat there is, then head on over to Bungie. They also have a real time world map showing where the Halos are being played. It looks like only one person in Africa is playing at this moment. 

Hit the jump for the full press release on the Halo 3 record breaking sales figures. 

Xbox 360 Exclusive "Halo 3" Registers Biggest Day in US Entertainment History

 with $170 Million in Sales

 

Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game "Halo 3" has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360 title beat previous records set by blockbuster theatrical releases like "Spider-man 3" and novels such as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

 

"Halo 3" is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where "Halo 2" left off, answering questions around the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief and his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant. In addition to the rich storyline, "Halo 3" continues the franchise's grand tradition of delivering innovative online multiplayer experiences via Xbox LIVE, the world's largest social network on TV.

 

"Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Not only is "Halo 3" setting sales records, it's also redefining entertainment. 

Within the first 20 hours alone, we've seen more than a million Xbox LIVE members come online to play Halo 3 – that makes September 25 the most active Xbox LIVE gaming day in history."

 

Retailers have also expressed their excitement about the launch of "Halo 3." 

 

Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for GameStop Corp commented that, "With consumer demand for Halo 3 and related products, we expect it to be the biggest video game title generator in GameStop's history."

 

"The initial demand we've seen for 'Halo 3' has been astounding, and the game is on track to become the number one gaming title of all time.  'Halo 3' is a genuine entertainment phenomenon and our customers have responded very enthusiastically to the release," said Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy.

 

Developed by Bungie Studios, the "Halo" franchise is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and optimized for the Xbox LIVE^® online entertainment network. The more than 7 million Xbox LIVE users will get a continually evolving gaming experience with "Halo 3." Its online multiplayer and cooperative gameplay for Xbox LIVE Gold users, the much-talked-about Saved Films feature that enables players to capture and save their favorite moments on their hard drives, and Forge, an innovative map editor that enables infinite customization options are just some of the new features to experience.

 

More than 10,000 retailers hosted Midnight Madness events to celebrate the launch of this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise. In New York, Seattle, Miami and Los Angeles, Microsoft and retail partners hosted marquee launch events that featured contests and appearances by local celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the "Halo" franchise, including Ludacris and Zac Efron and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. 

 

More than 1.7 million copies of "Halo 3" were preordered in the United States before a single store opened its doors at midnight, Sept. 25, making this the fasting pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of "Halo 2." Well beyond just a U.S. phenomenon, the launch of "Halo 3" was a worldwide celebration that released in 37 countries and available in 17 languages.

[Special thanks to Grim for the back up]