While Microsoft is closing in to the 10 million Xbox 360 sold consoles milestone, the "Gears of War" title is driving up the sales. Microsoft has revealed that "Gears" has become the fastest selling next-generation console game in 2006, in addition to being the fastest-selling exclusive Xbox game.

The Redmond Company even produced the numbers to attest the success of "Gears." The Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games product has sold in excess of 2 million copies world wide. But it is the success "Gears" is enjoying on home soil that will transform Microsoft on the US market in an equivalent of Sony in Japan. In this regard, the Redmond Company sold over 1 million "Gears of War" copies only in the United States.

"'Gears of War' clearly has won the battle for the title of the must-have game of the year," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. "Its phenomenal success is one of many reasons why Xbox 360 is the ultimate place to get together with friends to play this holiday."

"We've always held high hopes for 'Gears of War,' but we never expected such an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and gamers all over the world," said Michael Capps, president, Epic Games. "I can't describe how stoked our team is right now. Our fans can absolutely count on Epic to keep delivering new gameplay through Xbox Live®."

The Xbox Live battlefield is also illustrative that Microsoft is moving to gain dominance in the United States. Microsoft revealed that in excess of 1 million unique gamers have engaged in over 10 million online game sessions.