“Gears of War” Juggernaut Continues With More Than 3 Million Units Sold
Top-selling game of December sees more than 750,000 downloads of its exciting new multiplayer maps.
“Gears of War®” has gone triple platinum, reaching the 3 million-units-sold milestone in just 10 weeks on store shelves, ending 2006 as the top-selling game among all platforms during December.
Expanding on its reign as the fastest-selling title of 2006 and the fastest-selling original exclusive Xbox® game of all time, “Gears of War” has captivated gamers across the globe with its action-packed single-player campaign, thrilling online modes and recently released multiplayer maps, Raven Down and Old Bones. Since the downloadable content’s release via Xbox Live® Marketplace less than two weeks ago, the new maps have garnered an astounding 750,000 downloads. There have been more than 1.5 million total downloads of all “Gears of War” content currently available via Marketplace, including the maps, themes and video walkthrough, by gamers who can’t get enough of Delta Squad and the Locust Horde.
“Like blockbuster titles from Microsoft's ‘Halo®’ franchise and the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Zelda’ franchises, ‘Gears of War’ is tracking to be one of the best-selling video games of all time and has established itself as the most successful new IP of the next generation,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft Corp.
“Gears of War” continues to wow consumers and critics alike, garnering more than 20 nominations for game of the year. The game is a truly global phenomenon: prestigious Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently gave “Gears of War” the coveted Platinum award; “Gears of War” joins “Blue Dragon” as the second Microsoft Game Studios title in the past two months to receive this high honor.
Not just a gaming sensation, the acclaimed “Gears of War: Mad World” cinematic trailer was featured in Advertising Age’s Book of Tens as one of the top creative concepts of 2006. With more than 2.4 million views of the trailer online, the campaign has inspired not only tremendous sales, but also a number of hilarious parody videos currently circulating around the Internet.
About “Gears of War”
“Gears of War,” rated “M” for Mature, thrusts gamers into humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. Blending the best of tactical action games with the best of survival horror titles, “Gears of War” features cinematic, beautifully rendered interactive environments with high-definition visuals.
About Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, N.C. and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in its “Unreal” series, and its latest game, “Gears of War,” broke sales records on Xbox 360™, selling more than 3 million copies worldwide in the first ten weeks and winning GameSpot’s overall “Game of the Year” award. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including Console Game of the Year winner “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell™” by Ubisoft, PC Gamer’s Game of the Year “Deus Ex” from EIDOS, “America’s Army: Special Forces” by the U.S. Army, and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (PC) by Electronic Arts. Epic’s Unreal Engine 3, the underlying technology in Gears of War, is the current holder and three-time consecutive winner of Game Developer magazine’s Front Line award for “Best Game Engine.” Epic Games was also awarded “Studio of the Year” at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards. Additional information can be obtained through Epic’s Web site at
http://www.epicgames.com.
About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game systems, the Windows® operating system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (
http://www.microsoft.com/games), including such franchises as “Age of Empires®,” “Flight Simulator” and “Zoo Tycoon®;” Xbox and Xbox 360 (
http://www.xbox.com), including such games as “Gears of War” and franchises such as “Halo,” “Fable®,” “Project Gotham Racing®” and “Forza Motorsport™”; and MSN® Games (
http://www.games.msn.com), the official games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as “Bejeweled” and “Hexic®.”
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