You may remember that Halo 3 sold $170 million in the first 24 hours of release just in the United States. Well, a week has passed now and the numbers are in. This sleeper hit has made $300 million worldwide. Not only that, but Xbox 360 console sales have almost doubled and nearly three million people have played on LIVE:  

Within the first day of its launch, "Halo 3" players worldwide racked up more than 3.6 million hours of online gameplay, which increased more than elevenfold to 40 million hours by the end of the first week, representing more than 4,500 years of continuous
gameplay.

4,500 years of continuous gameplay. God. Damn.

Even Bill Gates had a thing to say about all this:

"'Halo' is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of 'Halo 3' is an
important milestone for Xbox 360 and for video games as entertainment
and as an art form," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "'Halo 3'
embodies our vision for the future of entertainment, where some of the
world's greatest creative minds will deliver a new generation of
interactive storytelling."

It's been a good week for Microsoft to say the least. 

And speaking of Bill, there's a Xbox 360 signed by him on eBay that you'll never be able to afford. 

Hit the jump for the full "yeah, we f*cking rock" press release from Microsoft. 

Global Entertainment Phenomenon "Halo 3" Records More Than $300 Million.
First-Week Sales Worldwide

Xbox 360 console sales almost doubled; nearly 3 million gamers play
online via Xbox LIVE.

REDMOND, Wash. - Oct. 4, 2007 - Interactive entertainment will never be
the same, with the launch of one title that has changed the way the
world thinks about video games. "Halo(r) 3" has captured the attention
of consumers worldwide and has made history as one of the biggest
entertainment launches of all time.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that "Halo 3" has officially become a
global phenomenon, garnering more than $300 million in sales in the
first week alone. The critically acclaimed Xbox 360(r) exclusive, which
was released worldwide on Tuesday, Sept. 25, is the fastest-selling
video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment
properties in history.

Initial reports from retailers worldwide show console sales have nearly
tripled compared with the weekly average before the launch of "Halo 3."
With games such as "Halo 3," "Madden 08" (EA Sports), "Mass Effect"
(Microsoft Game Studios) and "Rock Band" (Harmonix), Xbox 360 has the
greatest lineup in the history of video games and is the only console
where consumers can play all the year's biggest blockbusters.

"'Halo' is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of 'Halo 3' is an
important milestone for Xbox 360 and for video games as entertainment
and as an art form," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "'Halo 3'
embodies our vision for the future of entertainment, where some of the
world's greatest creative minds will deliver a new generation of
interactive storytelling."

"Halo 3" is quickly staking its place as the most popular Xbox LIVE(r)
game in history with members gathering in record numbers to play on the
world's largest online gaming and entertainment network on TV. More than
2.7 million gamers have played "Halo 3" on Xbox LIVE in the first week,
representing nearly one-third of the 7 million Xbox LIVE members
worldwide. Within the first day of its launch, "Halo 3" players
worldwide racked up more than 3.6 million hours of online gameplay,
which increased more than elevenfold to 40 million hours by the end of
the first week, representing more than 4,500 years of continuous
gameplay. Since "Halo 3 launched," gamers have unlocked nearly 30
million achievements. In its first week alone, "Halo 3" drove a record
number of Xbox LIVE Gold Memberships as hundreds of thousands of new
members gathered online with friends, family members and other gamers
around the world to collectively compete and complete the game.

 "Halo 3" is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where "Halo
2" left off, answering questions about the fates of the beloved
protagonist Master Chief(tm) 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
game's online multiplayer and innovative four-player 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
myriad customization options, are just some of the new features gamers
are experiencing.

Developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, the
"Halo" franchise is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and
entertainment system and optimized for the Xbox LIVE online
entertainment network. "Halo 3" was released in 37 countries and 17
languages. To date, more than 20 million copies of the games in the
"Halo" trilogy have been sold worldwide.

Record week-one sales come on the heels of the previously announced $170
million in sales in the U.S. within the first 24 hours of the game's
release, which marked not just the biggest video game launch, but the
biggest entertainment launch in history. The Xbox 360 title beat
previous U.S. sales records set by blockbuster openings for
entertainment events such as the release of "Spider-Man 3" and "Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows." In addition, more than 1.7 million
copies of "Halo 3" were pre-ordered in the United States, making it the
fastest pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous
record-setting pre-sales of "Halo 2."