Microsoft has officially labeled Halo 3 as a global entertainment phenomenon announcing that it has sold no less than $300 million worth of the title worldwide, in just the first week of sales. Exclusively available for the Xbox 360 platform, Halo 3 has become the fastest-selling video game in history, although the Redmond company is acclaiming it as an entertainment property, not only as a gaming title. But Master Chief, the game's protagonist, apart from contributing to the global entertainment phenomenon that is Halo 3, also managed to push up Xbox consoles sales.

"'Halo' is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of 'Halo 3' is an important milestone for Xbox 360 and for video games as entertainment and as an art form," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "'Halo 3' embodies our vision for the future of entertainment, where some of the world's greatest creative minds will deliver a new generation of interactive storytelling."

According to the Redmond company, sales of Xbox 360 consoles have more than doubled since Halo 3 hit the shelves on September 25. But on top of the record unit and console sales, Halo 3 has quickly become a hit with the Xbox Live online gaming platform. Microsoft announced that in excess of 2.7 million Halo 3 gamers engaged in no less than 40 million hours of online gameplay. In the first day alone, Xbox Live users accounted for over 3.6 million hours of online gameplay.

"Record week-one sales come on the heels of the previously announced $170 million in sales in the U.S. within the first 24 hours of the game's release, which marked not just the biggest video game launch, but the biggest entertainment launch in history. The Xbox 360 title beat previous U.S. sales records set by blockbuster openings for entertainment events such as the release of "Spider-Man 3" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." In addition, more than 1.7 million copies of "Halo 3" were pre-ordered in the United States, making it the fastest pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of 'Halo 2'", Microsoft added.