Early estimates of Halo 2’s first day sales place it at the top of the dog pile with Microsoft executives claiming $100 million in sales. At an average price of $50 a copy that’s approximately 2,000,000 copies sold in 24 hours. Update: According to a press release issued yesterday, Halo 2 outdid expectations by selling 2.4 million copies making Microsoft and Bungie $125,000,000 richer.

"Analysts expect Halo 2 to sell a total of about 10 million units, with some projecting up to half of those sales coming in November. The original Halo sold 5 million units and remains the best seller on the Xbox to date.

"We think that this will be the biggest launch in the history of EB, perhaps the biggest launch in the history of video games," said Jeff Griffiths, chief executive of games retailer Electronics Boutique, at the Harris Nesbitt conference."

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Halo 2 Marks the Biggest 24 Hours in Entertainment Retail History with $125 Million in Sales

“Halo 2” broke entertainment retail records in its first 24 hours on store shelves. Microsoft Game Studios today announced that the highly-anticipated game sold through 2.4 million units in the U.S. and Canada, driving cash register receipts to the $125 million mark.

“EB Games had a record-breaking day as gamers across the country lined up for hours to be one of the first to get their hands on ‘Halo 2’ on November 9,” said Jeff Griffiths, president and CEO of EB Games. “The ‘Halo 2’ frenzy, anticipation and excitement felt throughout the country prove that ‘Halo 2’ has become more than a game -- it’s a pop cultural phenomenon.”

"Halo 2 has blown the roof off of any other sales day in the history of GameStop,” said Dan Dematteo, president and chief operating officer at GameStop. “In just one day, we sold more than half a million copies of Halo 2 -- more than any other game in history in its first day of release. Halo 2 has become more than a pop culture phenomena -- it's become a pop culture frenzy."

Not only has “Halo 2” exceeded video game sales records, but entertainment records as well. “Halo 2” has generated more money on day one than any of the biggest movies in box office history including “Spider-Man 2” (Sony), “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (WB) and “The Matrix Reloaded” (WB).* In addition, “Halo 2” surpassed this past weekend’s box office favorite, “The Incredibles,” which grossed $70.5 million (U.S.) in three days compared to the $125 million pulled through by “Halo 2” in one day.

"The first 24 hours of Halo 2 sales have taken our breath away," said Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Publishing, Xbox. "Across North America, 2.4 million copies of the game were sold through, representing $125 million in total cash register receipts for retailers. It's no longer just a huge game for us but has become a seminal milestone for the entire industry."

“Halo 2” will expand on everything that made the original game great, plus add a wealth of technological and gameplay advances. Significantly improved graphics, enhanced artificial intelligence (AI), an advanced real-time lighting engine and destructible interactive environments are just a small part of “Halo 2’s” evolution of design and technology. Every improvement in “Halo 2” is designed to take gameplay to a new level -- and in the end, to tell a more compelling story.

Utilizing Xbox Live to redefine online play, “Halo 2” delivers superior online multiplayer capabilities. Whether playing with a clan on a new multiplayer map, boarding a friend's Warthog, dogfighting in Banshees or checking player stats, “Halo 2” will bring the social experience to a higher level via Xbox Live. More information about “Halo 2” is available at http://www.halo2.com/.

Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve the real goal of total world domination. Over the past 10 years it produced games like the "Marathon Trilogy" and the first two "Myth" games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. "Halo: Combat Evolved" and “Halo 2” have achieved phenomenal success on the Microsoft Xbox video game system. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net/.

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