Halo 4 Adds $220 Million to Microsoft's Coffers from Day-One Sales

Halo 4 global sales dropped $220 million into Microsoft's coffers within 24 hours of launch.

The best-selling franchise, which fared well in the review circuit, is set to break through $300 million in sales during its first week on the market, according to Hollywood Reporter.

GameStop president Tony Bartel said, "Consumer demand and excitement for Halo 4 is even greater than we anticipated. Day-one sales of Halo 4 make it the biggest Halo launch in GameStop history and the biggest launch on any platform so far this year in our stores."

While Halo's sales figures are impressive, they will likely be eclipsed by today's release of Call of Duty Black Ops II, which netted 30 percent more pre-orders than Modern Warfare 3. For the sake of context, Call of Duty: MW3 made more than $400 million in its first 24 hours.

Phil Spencer, Microsoft's Studios corporate vice president, states: "We're thrilled that Halo 4 has emerged as the biggest U.S. entertainment launch of the year. Thanks to the millions of fans worldwide who helped make this another record-breaking launch for the Halo franchise, Halo 4 is kicking off a strong holiday season and has become the must-have blockbuster experience of the year."

IGN reports that Halo earned more revenue than The Avengers and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Halo 4 is the first entry in the series developed by a new studio, 343 Industries. Bungie, the heralds of Halo from Combat Evolved to Reach have now moved on to new, unannounced projects under the umbrella of publisher Activision.