‘Halo 4’ sales hit $220m on first day

Microsoft said its Halo 4 video game racked up $220m (€173m) in global sales on its launch day, beating records set by previous installments of the hit series.

Action-shooter Halo 4, released last Tuesday, is on its way to reaching $300m in global sales in its first week, making it the biggest launch in the decade-old Halo franchise’s history, Microsoft said.

The franchise has generated over $3.38bn in revenue since its 2001 launch, Microsoft said.

“We’re thrilled that Halo 4 has emerged as the biggest US entertainment launch of the year,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios.

The Halo series, made by Microsoft Game Studios, spearheaded the company’s foray into gaming that began with the 2001 launch of the first Xbox.

Industry watchers say Halo 4 sales figures will shed light on whether the game can revive flagging sales for the videogame sector, and beat Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, which went on sale yesterday and compete for the title of 2012’s top-selling game.