The most anticipated Xbox 360 Halo 3 game has already surpassed the most optimistic expectations that the company had, even before the game has actually launched. Pre-orders for the game have already crosses the one million mark.
Combined, Best Buy, GameStop and other major Microsoft partners for the halo 3 launch have reportedly sold over 1 million units, making it a first for the Xbox 360.
From the looks of it, the launch of Halo 3 could possibly break the record established by World of Warcraft’s ‘The Burning Crusade’ expansion pack that was launched on January 17. The game went on to sell over 2.4 million copies in the first 24 hours of availability.
Besides announcing that North American pre-orders for Halo 3 crossed the 1 million milestone, Microsoft also unveiled the first details of upcoming promotions from leading consumer brands such as Mountain Dew, 7-eleven, Burger King, Comcast and Potiac.
Mountain Dew will be unveiling its first beverage to be co-branded with a video game. The drink will be called ‘Mountain Dew Game Fuel’ and will be available nationwide for a limited time beginning August 13.
&-Eleven will unveil three Halo 3-branded collectible Slurpee cups. Plus, 7_Eleven is offering thousands of Halo3-themed prizes including a chance to win a role as a voice actor in the upcoming Xbox 360 video game named “Halo Wars”. This is the grand prize by the way, and not every one will get a chance to star in this game that is being developed by Ensemble Studios.
Microsoft has also provided a reason for coming out with three versions of Halo 3. Well, before we tell you, can you guess why? Does the number 3 ring a bell? Okay, so its pretty simple, the Halo 3 launch obviously revolves around the number 3, and knowing Microsoft’s smart ways, the company certainly felt that this is a good occasion to triple its revenues by offering three versions.
The three version of Halo 3 that is being offered by Microsoft are the Legendary Edition, the Limited Edition and the Standard Edition.
The halo 3 Legendary Edition which costs $129.99 will have a limited supply for starters. Those lucky to get their hands on this one will get a collectible Spartan helmet case, along with two bonus disks filled with supplemental content.
The Halo 3 Limited Edition costs $69.99 and will come in a sleek metal collector’s case. This pack will include the first disc that comes bundled with the Legendary Edition as well as a special Halo fiction and art book.
Lastly, the standard Edition will give gamers who just want to play Halo 3, well, jus the game itself and nothing more. It will cost $59.99.
Pontiac will be hosting Pontiac Gamers Garage events in select locations, which will give all the hardcore Halo 3 fans a chance to play a single player campaign for the first time, even before the game’s official launch on September 27!
Plus, 100 lucky fans will get a free copy of Halo 3, however, we don’t know which Edition it will be. Let’s hope it’s the Legendary Edition! But, one lucky winner will get a limited-edition Halo 3 G6 GXP Street Car!
Burger King is also coming out with halo 3-themed packaging, which will include exclusive content inside from Sepetmber 23 onwards, while ComCast will be hosting excsluive video content, including user-generated movies and machimia on its Web sites www.ziddio.com and www.gameinvasion.net.
According to Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy, “The excitement for ‘Halo 3’ is incredible. 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.”