In Microsoft?s new “Halo 3,” the heroic Master Chief is on a mission to save all of Earth, but the company will settle for the rescue of its Xbox 360 console.
Microsoft hopes a big showing from the anticipated game, which hits store shelves today, will press the reset button for its next-generation unit, which lags behind Nintendo?s Wii in sales and has failed to prove profitable for the company.
” ?Halo 3? is clearly one of the most anticipated titles of the year, so its impact on the games industry cannot be minimalized,” said Anita Frazier, video game industry analyst for The NPD Group, a New York-based market research firm.
“In my mind, the arrival of ?Halo 3? is significant in that eyes will now turn more toward software acquisition, and going into the holidays, this is important for the industry,” Frazier said.
According to Microsoft, more than 1.5 million copies of “Halo 3” were preordered before today?s release, making it the fastest preselling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting presales of “Halo 2,” which was released in November 2004.
“Halo 2” generated a record-setting $125 million in sales within the first 24 hours of its release, and analysts are predicting that “Halo 3” will surpass that number in first-day sales.
Wedbush Morgan Securities has predicted Microsoft could sell 3 million copies of “Halo 3” in the product?s first two weeks in stores, and retailers have suggested that 30 percent of “Halo 3” prepurchasers plan to also take home an Xbox 360, which sells for about $400.
Microsoft has sold about 11.1 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide since the system was released in November 2005, according to VG Chartz. Nintendo has sold about 11.8 million Wii systems since its release at the end of 2006.
Since the original Xbox was released in 2001, the system has led to more than $7 billion in losses for Microsoft?s entertainment and devices division.
“Halo 3” will be made availablein three versions: Standard Edition for $60, Limited Edition for $70 and Legendary Edition for $130.
“Our customers have been waiting for ?Halo 3? since the day after ?Halo 2? launched,” Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy, said in a statement.
Staff writer Aaron Cahall contributed to this article.
