Halo Wars sells one million copies

by: Chuck - posted: 3/19/2009 1:25:00 PM

Microsoft announced today that Halo Wars has sold over 1 million copies since it was released earlier this month.  While sales are significantly less than Halo 3 (which sold about 3 million copies the first week) that's still a lot of pressed software.  It's also a good last note for Ensemble Studios which was closed after the game was released.

I haven't had a lot of time to work through the game but from what I've played so far I'm pretty impressed with what the folks at Ensemble have done.  As I said in my initial impressions Ensemble has done a good job of changing the RTS format to fit the console rather than trying to change the console controller to fit the RTS mold.  It's also worth noting that the story and game cinematics are impressive.  If you're at all curious about the game you should check out the excellent demo that's available on Xbox Live and try the game out for yourself. 

From the rumblings I've seen I would guess that we'll be getting an announcement about DLC in the near future.  A good chunk of the Ensemble people went on to form Robot and I imagine that they are already hard at work creating new content for the game.

Microsoft today announced that sales of “Halo Wars” have reached more than one million units worldwide, making the exclusive Xbox 360 title the best selling real-time strategy game on any current generation console. With a revolutionary control scheme designed expressly for the Xbox 360 controller and a riveting story that takes “Halo” fans deeper into the “Halo” universe, “Halo Wars” is breaking new ground for the strategy genre by introducing a new wave of fans to strategy games and reminding existing fans why it’s so fun.

Set in the year 2525, “Halo Wars” takes players on a perilous journey through the famed “Halo” universe. As players take the command seat in the early, epic battles between the UNSC and Covenant, they will begin to unravel events 20 years before “Halo: Combat Evolved” that shaped the franchise into what it is today.

Since the game’s release throughout Asia on February 26 and subsequent launches in Europe and the Americas, fans around the world have been taking full advantage of “Halo Wars’” rich Xbox LIVE gameplay. To date:

· There have been more than 2.6 million multiplayer matches played

· More than 118 years of time has been spent in multiplayer matches on Xbox LIVE

· On average, more than 200,000 “Halo Wars” fans have taken up arms in battles between the UNSC and Covenant each day

· For more statistics and game information, fans can visit the official stats page at: http://www.halowars.com/stats/globalstats.aspx

But these initial explosive battles in “Halo Wars” are just beginning. Microsoft is working closely with partner and newly formed studio Robot Entertainment, which is comprised of “Halo Wars” and “Age of Empires” veterans from Ensemble Studios. More Halo Wars content is being prepared, so stay tuned.

“Halo Wars” is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and 16+ PEGI and is available worldwide. A demo is also available on Xbox LIVE in all LIVE enabled regions worldwide. For more information, visit Xbox.com/Halo or HaloWars.com.