While the most recent edition of Halo reached the number ten spot, Halo 3 chimes in at number seven with an estimated 11.93 million units. Halo 3 is often sited as the first must-have exclusive on the Xbox 360, Microsoft's hefty advertising budget of $40 million dollars clearly did its job, and made people want to buy the console back in the early days of the 360 in 2007. Halo 3 earned a record-setting $170 million in 24 hours on release, going on to make roughly $300 million in its first week. Microsoft also claims that the game caused a massive growth in the amount of consoles they were selling, with the amount of Xbox 360 consoles sold per week rising by more than double. Halo being Halo, it's no surprise that the franchise has done well in any particular instance, as it was ultimately the first game to really distinguish the original Xbox as a console - that legacy alone continues to push the product, nevermind the consistently great game-play and storytelling. The reason for Halo 3 selling more than its sequels is likely because it was essentially a launch title.
Sam is an experienced Film, Gaming and Wrestling writer, critic and journalist who was written for a vast number of different entertainment websites. Follow him on twitter at @Sams_Reel_Views.
