Microsoft 'Halo: Reach' sales hit $200 mn on day 1

TOKYO, JAPAN: Microsoft said on Thursday that its new videogame "Halo: Reach" had generated $200 million in sales on its launch day.

"Halo: Reach" is the latest version of its blockbuster "Halo" franchise and went on sale this week. The game has sold more than 34 million copies in the nine years since its debut, boosting the popularity of Microsoft's Xbox console.

Phil Spencer, vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, told the audience at the Tokyo Game Show that the number of gamers who played "Halo: Reach" on Xbox Live, its online system, in the first day had surpassed that of Halo 3.