James Delahunty
16 May 2007 19:01
Microsoft Corp. has revealed when the third Halo game will be available to purchase for the Xbox 360 console. The highly anticipated title will hit store shelves on September 25 and Microsoft hopes that the launch will be even more successful than that of Halo 2, which brought in $125 million in sales in its first day. Microsoft also expects Halo 3 to spur more sales of the Xbox 360 console.
The first Halo game launched back in November 2001 when Microsoft was a newcomer to the video games industry. The title helped Microsoft to gain a foothold in the market. After Halo 2 was launched, it sold incredibly well, cementing its place among the world's most popular games and ensuring the growth and success of the Xbox Live online service.
"This is going to be a critical holiday for us versus Sony, especially on the console generation side, and they don't really have an answer for 'Halo 3'," Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Game Studios, said. "Given that, I suspect 'Halo 3' to drive a lot of Xbox 360 sales and Xbox Live memberships, I think at those midnight (launch) events, there are going to be a lot of people walking out with an Xbox 360 along with their copies of 'Halo 3'."
The regular edition of Halo 3 will sell for $60, with two limited editions going for $70 and $130. In Europe, the title will go on sale on September 26th, but Microsoft declined to set a date for Japan, the weakest market for Xbox 360.
Source:
Reuters