Microsoft's latest videogame Halo: Reach notched up $200 million in sales in the US and Europe in its first 24 hours, making it the biggest US entertainment launch of the year.
The newest addition to the popular Halo series is a key title for Microsoft heading into the holiday shopping season when it and archrivals Nintendo and Sony clash with new products and look to reverse a recent sales slump in the game industry.
Phil Spencer, vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said a lack of blockbuster games was to blame for the industry slowdown, and the success of Halo: Reach would support Xbox 360 console sales for the software maker.
"We feel really good about where the Halo: Reach numbers are," he told Reuters on the sidelines of the Tokyo Game Show, adding that the number of gamers who played Reach on Xbox Live, its online system, had topped that of Halo 3, the previous title in the series.
"What Halo: Reach numbers tell me is gamers are there. They are willing to buy the great experiences when they come out. In fact, that we are exceeding Halo 3 numbers out of the gate tells me that the industry is in a healthy state."
Mr Spencer said the $200 million figure made Reach the biggest launch of any game or movie this year. Halo 3 garnered more than $300 million globally in its first week. First-day global sales for Halo 3 were not available.
The Halo franchise has sold more than 34 million copies in its nine-year history, boosting the popularity of Microsoft's Xbox console. The series has grossed nearly $2 billion in sales over its lifetime.
Microsoft will begin selling its Kinect full-body motion-sensing game system from November 4th, while Sony launched its "Move" motion-controlled gaming system on September 15th. Nintendo will sell a new version of its DS handheld device that can play games and show movies in 3D without glasses sometime before March 2011.
But Mr Spencer was cautious about the outlook for 3D games.
"I really think 3D has to move along as a creative medium. Right now it's more of a soft medium and it kind of wears out," he said. "But in the long run, we are believers in 3D."
Reuters