Halo 3 – The Fastest Selling Pre-Ordered Game Ever

Posted: August 9th, 2007 by Game God • Filed Under

Please tell me you aren’t surprised to hear this news, because I’m sure you’re not. Halo 3 has already become the fastest selling pre-ordered game in video game history. Pre-orders in North America for Halo 3 have exceeded the 1 million milestone, according to Microsoft today. And just think it still has a couple more months before the actual release date — damn I need to hurry and get myself a copy!

Here is the press release issued by Microsoft:

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 9, 2007 — As the countdown continues for the entertainment event of the year — the launch of “Halo® 3” — the video game continues to set records and establish new precedents for an entertainment launch. Today, Microsoft Corp. announced that preorders in North America for the exclusive Xbox 360™ title have exceeded the 1 million milestone. In addition, Microsoft unveiled the first exciting details of upcoming promotions from leading consumer brands, including Mountain Dew, 7-Eleven, Pontiac, Comcast and Burger King Corp.

In a strategy utilized in other big entertainment launches, retailers around the world have begun taking preorders, enabling consumers to order one of the three versions of “Halo 3”: Standard Edition, Limited Edition and the ultra-collectible Legendary Edition. In fact, demand has been so strong for the Legendary Edition of the game that it is expected to be sold out by the time the game launches on Sept. 25. Retailers have also noted that the presales for “Halo 3” are the fastest in video game history.

“What we’ve experienced is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp. “‘Halo 3’ has eclipsed many previous records and will prove to be one of the must-have items of 2007.”

“The excitement for ‘Halo 3’ is incredible,” said Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy. “From our preorders online and the buzz we’re hearing in our stores, we know this release is going to be one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. We’re thrilled to be able to bring it to our customers.”

For the first time in video game history and on par with the scope of major movie releases, some of the world’s biggest consumer brands have aligned to support the launch. Many plan to offer a variety of promotions that give consumers the opportunity to obtain unique “Halo 3”-branded products and prizes and participate in one-of-a-kind “Halo 3”-themed events.

“This September, ‘Halo 3’ will push video game entertainment into the forefront of mainstream culture,” said Chris Di Cesare, director of creative marketing at Microsoft. “Teaming up with some of the world’s strongest and most recognizable brands is trailblazing new paths and cementing video games as big entertainment on par with major event films, and is a testament to the excitement and anticipation intrinsically linked to ‘Halo 3.’”

Mountain Dew will unveil the first beverage co-branded with a video game, Mountain Dew Game Fuel. Game Fuel has the same great taste of Mountain Dew with an invigorating blast of citrus cherry flavor and added caffeine for maximum intensity. Game Fuel will come in 20-ounce bottles, 2-liter bottles and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans and will be available nationwide for a limited time starting Aug. 13, 2007.

7-Eleven today confirmed its plans to support the launch of “Halo 3” through a variety of in-store promotions, including three “Halo 3”-branded collectible Slurpee cups. In addition,7-Eleven will run a “Halo 3” promotion with Mountain Dew Game Fuel and Doritos, with thousands of “Halo 3”-themed prizes, including, as grand prize, a chance to win a role as a voice actor in the upcoming Xbox 360 video game, “Halo Wars™,” by Ensemble Studios. In a few select markets, Mountain Dew will offer a special-edition aluminum bottle of Mountain Dew Game Fuel with an exclusive design created by Bungie Studios, the developers of “Halo 3.” This bottle will be available in very limited quantities, making it a highly sought-after collector’s item.

Pontiac will provide consumers with several exclusive “Halo 3”-related opportunities. It will host Pontiac Gamers Garage events in select locations, providing consumers with a chance to play the game for the first time before its release. In addition, in support of the launch of its upcoming high-performance G6 GXP Street, Pontiac will provide 1,000 consumers with a copy of the game, and one lucky gamer will win a limited-edition “Halo 3” G6 GXP Street car.

Burger King Corp. will continue its sponsorship of Xbox 360 with national, in-restaurant support from Sept. 24 through Oct. 22. “Halo 3”-themed packaging will offer customers access to exclusive content by logging on to http://www.bk.com/halo3 beginning Sept. 23. Graphics will be featured on select packaging, including the 42-ounce cup and King FRYPOD™.

Comcast has also joined the “Halo 3” campaign and will host exclusive video content, including user-generated movies and machinima, on its Web sites http://gameinvasion.net and http://www.ziddio.com. Comcast will also feature standard- and high-definition “Halo 3” videos on its signature ON DEMAND service.

“Halo 3” is also the official sponsor of the Projekt Revolution tour this summer, which includes bands Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance. Exclusive “Halo 3” VIP events will take place in select cities on the tour, where attendees will receive “Halo 3”-themed merchandise and have an opportunity to meet the members of Linkin Park.

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There Are 28 Responses So Far. »

Comment by halo3impact on 9 August 2007:

http://www.halo3impact.com for all your Halo 3 needs!
Comment by Marten on 9 August 2007:

No, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade was.

Halo sucks.
Comment by halo sucks on 9 August 2007:

LMAO… halo is flawed… anyone who has played the beta knows that there are Anti aliasing problems from day 1. Basically Halo 3 = Halo 2 + copied over ideas from resistance. If you think Halo is good… spend the extra cash get a PS3 (or you can sit and wait for your box to fry the day you get Halo 3 and then wait another 5 months for the box to come back) and try out resistance…
Comment by Mookie on 9 August 2007:

You’re an idiot, a complete and total idiot, and a loser to boot, go back to chain casting lighting of whatever it is you MMORPG fanboys do…
Comment by Rob on 9 August 2007:

1 Million people sure will be disappointed when they realize they’ve bought three installments of mediocre, generic, packaged crap.
Comment by halo sucks on 9 August 2007:

the fact that you know about such casting methoods only tells me you are not so excluded from that MMORPG fanboy category
Trackback by Metagg on 9 August 2007:

Metagg is tracking this post…

Find out what Social News Sites are discussing this post over at metagg.com…
Comment by Wow... on 9 August 2007:

I have to comment on this:

“LMAO… halo is flawed… anyone who has played the beta knows that there are Anti aliasing problems from day 1.”

Anyone who has played the what? The beta? You’re making judgments on a game from seeing a beta version of it months before it’s going to be released? Wow. Who’s the bigger idiot I wonder? The person who uses such flawed logic, or the person who believes it
Comment by Haha on 9 August 2007:

I like how all the people that took the time to read this say Halo sucks… way to go you idiots. If you don’t like it then don’t comment. It’s pretty easy. Personally, I like Halo and think it’s fun, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna go around saying how much WoW sucks. Alright.
Comment by Halo Pwns on 9 August 2007:

“Halo Sucks” is flawed and an idiot.Kthxby
Comment by bob on 9 August 2007:

posting to be an opinionated assjerk
Pingback by gamechewover.com - gaming blog | filtered news, sports narrates, roster downloads » August 9th buzz - Slow news day; CoD4, Bioshock podcast on 9 August 2007:

[...] Reads Call of Duty 4 beta info – Lots of info and a few screens of the upcoming multiplayer beta. Fastest selling preorder ever: Halo 3 – Preorder sales exceed 1 million. Good Viewing/Listening Bioshock podcast Ep.11 – Programmer and [...]
Comment by 123456489112q on 9 August 2007:

YAY!
Pingback by Bangkok Mafia» Blog Archive » Halo 3 - Fastest Selling Pre-Ordered Game Ever on 10 August 2007:

[...] Halo 3 – Fastest Selling Pre-Ordered Game Ever [...]
Comment by Joe Lane on 10 August 2007:

I’m not surprised. Halo conviced me to buy the first XBOX & Halo 3 is my driving motivation for the 360. The online element makes this series one of the most addicting ever.
Pingback by The Remnant: Refusing To Compromise on 10 August 2007:

[...] Halo 3 Fastest Selling Pre-Ordered Game Ever [...]
Comment by Perno on 10 August 2007:

So did anyone notice the name of the VP of Movies and Games at Best Buy in the press release? Jill Hamburger, that’s awesome!
Pingback by Universe_JDJ’s Blog » Halo 3 - Fastest Selling Pre-Order Game EVER! on 11 August 2007:

[...] read more | digg story [...]
Pingback by Aggravated Gamers » Halo 3 - Fastest Selling Pre-Order Game EVER! on 11 August 2007:

[...] can’t say I’m surprised one bit…read more | digg story Share: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
Comment by Sweet on 27 August 2007:

Anyone who says halo sucks obviously either sucks at it or hasn’t played it. Halo and Resistance are totally different games, both very fun, but Resistance cant really compare as it is a pretty generic console FPS I find shadowrun to be just as fun and it wasnt even a big release. The only reason Resistance is fun is all because of the Bullseye, the sweetest weapon in the game to use.
Comment by Sh420e on 13 September 2007:

Halo 3 and GTA:IV are the main reasons i bought an xbox….i waited until like 2 or 3 weeks ago to buy one….i even planned on buying one the same night as Halo 3 came out but had so much extra money at the time, i decided to buy it…
Comment by Finish the fight! on 23 September 2007:

Money booster for msft.
Comment by reep3r on 24 September 2007:

halo sucks…. fair enough fine entitled to your opinion, “buy a ps3 b/c it’s better” for the game resitance hmmmm ps3 has maybe 10 games…. i know of like one person who actually spent $ on a ps3 and has one y would u spend that type of cash on a product that has a gaming comunity the size of well next to nothing compared to xbox live less than 10 intersting games (opinion on my part) bottom line xbox is more than a fancy blue ray dvd player its an international culture icon halo or no halo. why buy a ps3 build a computer at least u can do something more than just ps3 shit whatever that may be but i def know that everytime i read or see a comment from a ps3 owner they always no matter what have to bash on xbox face it ps3 is a dreamcast scenario all over again few new games at first then it will dissappear forever only to reappear on vh1 on a corny i love the 00-10 in 30 years as most expensive console ever sold lol suckers!!!!

ps i prob wont ever check this comment so say what u may only to know that no one cares if u hate halo 1 2 or 3 u r truly and literally one out of a million be proud to be so unique u r a renagade a non conformist have fun while the rest of us finish the fight

im out ROFL
Comment by Hahahah on 20 March 2008:

HAHAHAHA, DONT CRY WII-FANS!
Comment by Richie on 20 July 2008:

Halo has to be the best game to date.
Comment by CLH Computers on 19 March 2009:

If anybody has any Halo 3 pictures they would like to post, put them in our forum. http://www.clhcomputers.com/forum
Comment by Halo 3 on 4 May 2009:

I wonder if GTA 4 beat Halo 3’s presells?
Comment by Trump on 9 September 2009:

I love Halo, I already ordered it too because it’s the best game ever! Addicted…? Yes I am!