'Halo 3' Hits $300M in Sales

Video-game phenomenon "Halo 3" earned more than $300 million in global sales during its first week, Microsoft announced today. Although specific figures were not released, the Wall Street Journal reports, the game surely also drove up sales of its Xbox 360 console, which previously had been flagging in competition with Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3 systems.

"'Halo' is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of 'Halo 3' is an important milestone for Xbox 360 and for video games as entertainment and as an art form," Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said. Microsoft also announced that 2.7 million people—a third of total membership—have played 'Halo 3' in online multiplayer gaming via the company's Xbox Live service. (More Halo 3 stories.)