Halo has pulled in approximately $3bn in revenue since its 2001 debut, shipping a total of 46 million copies across the series.
Microsoft revealed that the popular first person shooter franchise (which had brief foray into real-time-strategy) has resulted in 5 billion hours of gameplay on Xbox Live.
The fastest earner was 2010s Halo: Reach which made $200m on launch day in the US and Europe. The was followed by Halo 3 which earned $170m on day one in the US alone and Halo 2 which generated $125m in its first 24 hours.
Upcoming Halo 4 is the most costly title in the series to date and Microsoft hopes that it can continue the series money-making trend. It has been developed by 343 Industries which has taken over from Bungie and is aiming for a November 6 release.
An iOS promotional title for Halo 4 sponsored by Mountain Dew was released earlier this week. It's full improbable title is Halo 4: King of the Hill Fuled by Mountain Dew, iffy spelling and all.
Halo first appeared on the gaming radar in 2001 with Halo: Combat Evolved. It was originally announced as a Windows and Mac title at the 1999 Macwrold Conference but became an Xbox exclusive when Microsoft acquired Bungie in 2000.
The style of the game changed several times during development, going through a third-person shooter phase and even a real-time strategy focus at an early stage. Combat Evolved was the only title in the series to receive a PC port.
The popularity of the series meant that a film adaptation was on the cards for a while, with Peter Jackson attached as producer and Neil Blomkamp as director. When funding was pulled, the pair went on to create District 9 instead.
Want to comment? Please log in.