Microsoft’s Halo 3 has become the fastest-selling computer game so far, generating global sales of $300 million (£147 million) in its first week.

The figures confirm that video games can more than match the money-spinning prowess of Hollywood blockbusters and publishing phenomena such as Harry Potter.

Halo 3, released for Microsoft’s Xbox console on September 25, generated sales of more than $170 million in its first 24 hours. It is estimated to have cost between $20 million and $30 million to develop and about as much again to market.

By contrast, Sony’s Spider-Man 3, which cost about $260 million to produce, grossed $151 million on its opening weekend, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made about $155 million on its first day.

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Moreover, while the profit margin for Spider-Man 3 is estimated at about 45 per cent, Microsoft is expected to achieve a profit margin onHalo 3of as much as 90 per cent, according to industry analysts.

Halo 3’s strong start will also give a welcome boost to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, which was recently passed in sales by Nintendo’s Wii despite being released a year earlier.

Microsoft said that indications from retailers suggested Xbox daily sales have doubled since Halo 3 was released. It also shows that an appetite for violent titles remains a force in the $30 billion games market, despite Nintendo’s success with gentler pastimes such as virtual tennis.

Piers Harding-Rolls, of Screen Digest, the research firm, suggested that Halo 3 has the potential to remain “a system seller” for Microsoft in the run-up to Christmas. “Halo 3 is the jewel in the Xbox crown,” he said. Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and chairman, said: “Halo is truly a cultural phenomenon.”

The latest game is the concluding part of a series that follows the adventures of Master Chief, a space marine, in his fight against an alien army dubbed the Covenant.

The long-awaited title won rave reviews last month.

Numbers game

Bestselling games franchises

1 Mario: 195 million units (for Nintendo’s NES console)

2 Pokemon: 164 million units (for Nintendo’s GameBoy)

3 The Sims: 90 million units (forPC)

4 Final Fantasy: 75 million units (for Sony’s PlayStation)

5 Grand Theft Auto: 65 million units (for Sony’s PlayStation 2)

6 Tetris: 60 million units (for Nintendo’s GameBoy)

Source: Screen Digest/Times archive

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