Halo III (also known as Halo 3) launched in Europe at midnight on Tuesday (25 September 2007) and it is the third chapter in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Halo III is one of the most anticipated and heavily marketed titles in history. It represents the third chapter in the Halo trilogy—an international award-winning action series that grew into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.5 million units worldwide, logging more than 650 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox LIVE®, and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel, an upcoming film adaptation, and more.
In the UK more than 1,000 shops opened at midnight so gamers could get their hands on the title. Many gamers started queuing outside shops in the afternoon to ensure they got hold of a copy. The Xbox 360 game is Microsoft's key weapon in the console wars with Sony and Nintendo. Microsoft hopes day one sales will top £70m ($140m), more than the opening takings of any movie in history. Microsoft needs Halo III to boost sales of the Xbox 360; despite investing billions of dollars into the Xbox project it has yet to see any meaningful profitable return. More than a million people pre-ordered the game, which is the concluding part of a science fiction trilogy that tells the story of a super soldier, called Master Chief, who is leading the fight to save humanity from an alien collective, called the Covenant. The game has become a major entertainment franchise in recent years - with spin-off games, clothing, novels and action figures all available.More information:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo3/
http://www.halo3.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7010214.stm