With three weeks to go before the
game hits store shelves, pre-orders for Halo 2 have eclipsed the 1.5 million mark in the
United States. With phenomenal record-breaking video game pre-orders, Halo 2 is poised to
generate more revenue in 24 hours than day one sales of any full feature movie in
entertainment history, including Spider-man 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and
Matrix: Reloaded.
In the U.S., the anticipation is expected to peak on Nov. 9 when
thousands of shoppers will line up to be among the first to get their hands on the
action-packed thriller. The first copy of Halo 2 will be distributed at a Midnight Madness
event at the largest Toys "R" Us in the world located in Times Square, New York. Toys "R" Us
Times Square will open its doors at 12 midnight on November 9, and deliver the first retail
copy of the game to a lucky fan.
The original 'Halo' is still a top ten title three
years after it hit shelves, and the buzz for the sequel is off the charts, said John
Barbour, president, Toys "R" Us, U.S.
More than 6,500 U.S. participating retailers-
including Gamestop, EB Games, Best Buy, Gamecrazy, Game Rush, Circuit City, Kmart Super
Center stores and FYE, will open their doors at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9 to allow for
sales of Halo 2, Xbox consoles and Xbox Live Starter Kits.
The global launch of Halo
2 will also be marked by celebrations from November 9 through November 11 at more than 1,125
retail stores in cities around the world including London, Seoul, Toronto and Sydney. Halo 2
will be translated into seven languages (Japanese, Korean, traditional Chinese, Spanish,
French, German and Italian) and will be distributed in 27 countries.
Developed
exclusively for Xbox by Bungie Studios, part of Microsoft Game Studios, the original Halo
has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and spawned a legion of powerful devotees who
participate in competitions, tournaments and game nights.
