The Economics of Halo

HALO THE EVOLUTION AND ECONOMICS "OF THE HALO FRANCHISE To date, more than 34 million copies of "Halo" games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 3.3 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE. “Halo" games have consistently defined multiplayer gaming and have dominated Xbox LIVE charts since their release. The cultural impact of the Halo series has been compared to that of Star Wars, with the collective group of fans of the series referred to as the “Halo Nation." EVOLUTION TIMELINE "Halo: Combat Evolved" and "Halo 2" were best selling games on Xbox, and "Halo 3" is the best selling Xbox 360 game to date. OCTOBER 2001 "Halo: Fall of Reach" novel releases Oct. 2001; six other novels follow, five of which become New York Times bestsellers. COLLECTIBLES AND MERCHANDISE Remote control vehicles by NKOK, including the popular Warthog. More than 34 million units of "Halo" games have been sold worldwide. NOVEMBER 2001 "Halo: Combat Evolved" launches on Nov. 15, 2001: becomes the gold standard for console shooters. Halo ActionClix collectible miniatures by WizKids Games. More than 3.3 billion hours of "Halo" multiplayer action has been logged on Xbox LIVE. Red vs. Blue machinima series by Rooster Teeth available on DVD NOVEMBER 2004 "Halo 2" launches on Nov. 9, 2004; bestselling original Xbox game of all time and is the biggest ever entertain- ment launch with $125 million day one revenues Strategy guides from Brady Games Apparel: over 2.2 million units of Halo merchandise The "Halo 3" soundtrack made the Billboard 200 on Dec. 15, 2007, and also reached a peak position of #18 on Billboard's Top Soundtracks list, and #20 on Top Independent Albums. has been shipped since 2007, JULY 2006 "Halo" graphic novel relea ses on Jul. 19, 2006 from Marvel Comics. original soundtrack Soundtracks: produced by Sumthing Else MusicWorks, an award winning First-day sales of "Halo 3" reached $170 million in the U.S. breaking all previous single day entertainment launch records, and breaking the record held by "Halo 2" ($125 million). soundtrack series. aar HALas The Art of Halo 3 published by Prima Games (Random House), released on Nov. 25, 2008. SEPTEMBER 2007 "Halo 3" launches on Sep. 25, 2007; sets record as the biggest entertainment launch in history and becomes bestselling game of 2007. Risk HALO WARS Since the launch of Halo 3, RISK: Halo Wars Collector's Edition board game by USAopoly. players have generated more than 120 million pieces of user generated content from within the game. Construction play sets by Mega Blocks: over 16 million Halo characters 2007 - 2009 Marvel relea ses limited edition comic series from Oct. 2007- Jun. 20093; makes the New York Times bestseller list for graphic books. produced in 2009. Action figures by McFarlane Toys: more than 5 million action figures sold as of Fall 2009. HALO ENCYCLD The "Halo: Reach" beta was more than triple the size of the "Halo 3" beta. Encyclopedia published by DK Books, released on Oct. 19, 2009 beta FEBRUARY 2009 "Halo Wars" launches on Feb. 26, 2009; makes history as the bestselling console real time strategy game ever. More than 2.7 million people played the "Halo: Reach" multi- player beta last spring, making it the largest console video game beta test on record. "Halo: The Fall of Reach" monthly comic issued by Marvel in 2010. beta SEPTEMBER 2009 Fine art from "Halo 3: ODST" launches on Sept 22, 2009, selling more than 2.5 million copies within two weeks of release, totaling more than $125 million in sales. Acme Archives Ltd. releases in 2010. More than 6.3 million copies of the "Halo" series of books, comics and strategy guides sold. Five of the seven novels are New York Times bestsellers. Halo Legends anime collection released on Feb. 16, 2010. HAI Halo fiction novels, comics and strategy guides: more than 6.3 million sold as of January 2010.. SEPTEMBER 2010 "Halo: Reach" launches on Sept 14, 2010; promises to be the biggest game yet in theHalo series and the biggest entertainment launch this year. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(series) http://download.microsoft.com/download/B/6/9/B693CF12-3563- 43BD-9321-8FAB89A39D4F/Halo%20Franchise%20FS%20-%20FINAL_9.13.10.docx