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Halo 3 Preorders Top 1 Million, Marketing Begins

Posted by Zonk on Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:14 PM
from the flash-flood-of-master-chiefery dept.
XBox (Games)
Gamespot reports that Halo 3 has broken the all-time record for videogame preorders in North America. There are now more than 1 million copies of the title reserved across the continent. "The figure means that the Halo 3 launch could potentially be bigger than that of Halo 2. The then-Xbox-exclusive sold 2.38 million units in the US and Canada in the 24 hours after went on sale on November 16, 2004, generating an estimated $125 million. Halo 3 preorder customers' passion for the game is such that cost is apparently no object. As part of today's announcement, Microsoft warned that, despite its premium price point, the collectible Halo 3: Legendary Edition is on track to sell out before the game launches. The bundle, which includes a miniaturized version of the Master Chief's helmet, retails for $129.99 in the US, but is already sold out at several online retailers in the UK."
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[+] A Look At Halo 3's $10 Million Ad Campaign 62 comments
Via Next Generation, a post on the Brand Week website that goes into some detail on the massive advertising campaign for Halo 3 orchestrated by Microsoft and the McCann-Erickson group. "The goal of the campaign is to bring Halo fans and nonfans up-to-speed as to where we are in Master Chief's epic battle to defeat the evil Covenant. While most major game titles begin their ad campaigns weeks before launch to build buzz, Halo 3 differs greatly. This mass-market push is actually the end of the of Halo 3 campaign. The TV push is the grand finale of a five-pronged attack Microsoft quietly launched last December. The carefully orchestrated onslaught was designed to make casual fans interested and core fans rabid as Microsoft aims to eclipse Halo 2's record-breaking $125 million in sales on day one. To date, Halo 3 is already on the books for one million preorders and counting. "
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  • Understatement? (Score:4, Funny)

    by CellBlock (856082) on Friday August 10 2007, @12:19PM (#20185059)

    Marketing Begins?



    I think with a million preorders, the marketing is pretty much done.

    • Re:Understatement? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by binaryspiral (784263) on Friday August 10 2007, @12:45PM (#20185497)
      I think with a million preorders, the marketing is pretty much done.

      Heh, you haven't seen anything yet.
    • Of course, simply stating that product X has taken 1M orders is marketing too: it helps those sitting on the fence feel like they can safely join the herd.

      This is why many of these "new product coming soon or now available" PR pieces you see on SlashDot and other sites will frequently refer to a large number of early adopters: they want to make you feel safer as a buyer because you're going in with a crowd.

      • There was a Halo 3 trailer before the Simpson's Movie last night. It was very well done, and it certainly wouldn't surprise me if the pre-order numbers just kept getting bigger.

  • Impressive (Score:3, Insightful)

    by JeremyGNJ (1102465) on Friday August 10 2007, @12:20PM (#20185071)
    Holy Moly! Thats pretty impressive. If that was a music album it would already be considered "platinum". All that without any hardcore marketing. I guess it's true that the game industry is going to surpass the music industry, if it hasnt already.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by morari (1080535)
      No marketing? Their was a fairly widespread beta, as well as two games before it. Sequels don't really need much marketing, that's why publishers like them. They theoretically make oodles of money without much being put in.
      • I expect Microsoft will be giving away free Xbox 360 to every media personality who'll take them come launch day. I'd certainly bet that MS is going to blow a load of money on Halo 3. Why? Two reasons: Sony and Nintendo.

        Microsoft's ideal marketplace is MS with 95% of all sales and 1 or 2 competitors representing the other 5% so they're "not a monopoly". Halo 3 represents a unique chance for them to bury their competition, even if it is only for a short while.
  • Didn't it already start with that RPG thing that uses the real world similar to I love bees?
  • I'm holding out for the version that comes with the working Mjolnir armor.
  • You can buy 2 PS3 games and breakfast for 2 with that cash.

  • Halo 3 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by king-manic (409855) on Friday August 10 2007, @12:29PM (#20185219)
    HAlo 3 and mass effect are the only two things that might tempt me to get a 360. I susupect they may eventually get PC editions.
    • Im afraid Halo 3 will only be available for Vista Xp Uber Expensive edition given the time taken to release them on PC and Halo 2 Vista only (May or may not be circumvented).
      • Don't hold your breath. It took almost 3 years - and a new OS - to get Halo 2 to the PC. Halo is an XBox experience, not a PC experience, and it seems in Microsoft's best interest to keep it that way.

        It's in MS xbox divisions best interest. For bungie the best interest would be a multi platform release but their owner is MS.

        I might just swap with my GF's brother. When I finish MGS4 and he finishes halo 3 we'll swap systems and games.

  • From a company's standpoint. Toward the end of development, you're already probably over budget and short a few developers... and god knows when the soda/redbull/bawls machine was last stocked.

    You use the last bit of cash to:

    1. Pay off some bloggers to generate grass roots hype,

    2. Pay a few key "journalists" to write a OMFG this game is going to MF rock \m/ > \m/

    And begin accepting pre-order sales. Poof, instant PR budget so you can nail main stream media with everything you can now afford.

    And maybe rest

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by heinousjay (683506)
      The publishing duties aren't held by the same people who do the development. Of course, I'm not going to argue with you about any of it, your cynicism shows your opinion of the game is locked before it's even finished.
    • I think a few journalistic ethics people might have issue with this:

      1. Pay off some bloggers to generate grass roots hype,
      2. Pay a few key "journalists" to write a OMFG this game is going to MF rock \m/ > \m/

      then again, we are talking about games journalists. And didn't I read somewhere that there was an investigation into whether there was some form of bribery going on in games journalism? It wasn't payola, but it was along the lines of, "Write us a good preview or you won't get good access," type stu

    • And begin accepting pre-order sales. Poof, instant PR budget so you can nail main stream media with everything you can now afford.


      Do you seriously think Microsoft needs the cash from preorders to finance the marketing of Halo 3?
  • Halo 2 was released on the 9th. I still have the orange sticker on my box stating that it not be sold until 11/09/04.
  • Hopefully those little freaks aren't back in Halo 3

  • Why preorder (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DrXym (126579) on Friday August 10 2007, @01:41PM (#20186325)
    In the highly unlikely event of the game selling out, MS could push a button and produce 100,000 more in a single day. I really don't understand why anyone pre-orders so far in advance. The game will available everywhere with no difficulty at all. Preorder is a total and utter waste of time.
    • Tell me about it. I refuse to preorder a game or to even buy games from places that take preorders (unless I *know* that they will still sell games on release day to non preorder folks). I mean you can go to a gamestop and try to get a shitty game or even a strategy guide on release day and be told "oh, no preorder, sorry". Idiotic.

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by enderjsv (1128541)
        What happens at wal-mart when a good game comes out? would you like to know? Cause I have the answer. It's happened to me several times. I'll tell you because your probably in suspense. When a good game comes to wal-mart, I stop by wal-mart after work to pick up a copy and all the copies are sold out. Yep, by 5:30 in the afternoon they're all sold out. So what have I been doing lately? I buy a pre-order from Gamestop instead and I'm able to stop by the store on my way home from work and pick it up.

        • I pre-ordered from Gamestop once. Would you like to know what happened? ;) The *way* over pre-sold their stock and I had to wait a month to get the game. Meanwhile, I could of stopped in at Target, Frys, or BestBuy and get a copy (for $9 bucks less).

    • Because at least for me, its not an issue of them selling out. Its an issue of convience. I know for a fact that I want the game. I also know I'd rather not have to drive across town to the store to get it. Thus buying online makes sense. So my options are either pre-order it now, or I guess I could set a reminder on my computer to remind me to go to a website on launch day to order it but why bother with that? I'd prefer to just buy it online now and be done with it, then one day shortly after launch
    • It is fairly simple in marketing speak they simply don't differentiate between retailer preorders for resale, simply M$ arm twisting, don't pre-order and we wont make any units available to you till a month or so after release and actually individual customer pre-orders.

      If your into computer games in any way shape or form, you have learnt to never ever buy any game until it has been released and the reality of it's gameplay versus the marketing of the pretty pictures is demonstrated.

      The last time M$ wen

      • Fine, you want the game. Why not order 2-3 days in advance of the release date. Chances are high to total that you will get it on release day. And if it arrives a day or two late, so what?
          • No I don't hate it, and yes its completely unnecessary. I live in Ireland in a provincial town and I have absolutely no problem whatsoever getting any game from 2 or 3 outlets. If I can manage it I refuse to believe that anywhere in the US has problems. I can understand "preordering" from an online retailer and possibly bricks & mortar a few days before release if you absolutely must have it on the 1st day. But anymore is utterly absurd. Anyone who preorders Halo 3 a full six weeks before release is an
              • The "hostility" is simply that very few if any games sell out anywhere, let alone everywhere, or even justify a day 1 purchase. Preordering is simply a ploy for Gamestop and other stores to lock you into a sale, hang onto your deposit earning interest and in the case of no-shows to keep it altogether. Why not just order it online a few days before release if you want the game? Or wait a few days for the hype to clear and the reviews to appear to tell you if you're making a good buy?

                Halo 3 is going to be s

  • Why is this game so popular? In which ways did it revolutionize the genre?

    I never had a Xbox and didn't batter to get the PC edition. From what I understand, this is a fairly typical FPS just very very polished one. Much like Blizzard games which are not really revolutionary but are simply well done with a lot of attention to detail.

    • From what I understand, this is a fairly typical FPS just very very polished one.

      Bingo. It doesn't need a gimmick or push the system "Beyond it's Limits", it's just a really solid, fun game.

      This, and the fact that the first Halo was in the right place at the right time and was able to build a critical mass of die-hard fans.

    • I have a couple of theories on this.

      1) Halo allowed LAN-style gaming, without the headaches. A $300 console replaces the need of four gaming-level PCs. Keep in mind, not only is the cost reduced, a LOT less gear needs to be lugged around.

      2) Halo is to FPS what Final Fantasy 7 is to RPGs.
    • I can't tell you why it is "So popular"; however I can tell you why I like it: It was a game created by Bungie in the same tradition as their previous games.

      In other words, in addition to being an FPS, it also had a fairly intricate back-story. And most of that back-story wasn't shoved into your face, but woven into the background. This meant that I could actually consider it two games, an FPS and a puzzler.

      You are correct in your assessment of it's qualities as an FPS game. Really, it wasn't that much to w
    • <i>Why is this game so popular? In which ways did it revolutionize the genre?</i>

      My take about why Halo is so popular concerns numerous points:

      1) Halo 1 is the FIRST console FPS that actually could rival those on PC that was any fun. Before it, the ONLY contender for FPSes that were any good on consoles were GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, for the N64. Those two titles were quite good, but nowhere near as good as the FPS found on PC, due to the single analog stick found on the N64 controller that co
      • Not that I am a big fan of the Halo series...I played them and thought they were fine. But something that gets 1 million pre-orders already....I'm sorry, but it must be good to a lot of people.
  • ...those 1 million people who pre-ordered didn't think Halo 2 was overrated. I trust Bungie to provide a game that will be worth $50-60 dollars. I don't think it will be the world's best game, but it will certainly be worth the money, for multiplayer anyway. People seem to think that it's all-or-nothing for the Halo series these days, and that's just not true. Get down from your thrones made out of Valve games, people. I'm pretty sure it's legal to buy a shooter for a console that isn't the worlds best gam

    • Re:Halo - When Marketing Substitutes Worth (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Pojut (1027544) on Friday August 10 2007, @12:34PM (#20185297) Homepage
      While I agree with Mr. Shill here about Halo not being as much of a mind-blowing game that many people see it as (in my opinion, of course), I still think it's a good game. It had a good aiming system, the controls were tight, the graphics were decently pretty, the length was perfect, and the story line was interesting.

      As far as the Halo 3 Beta graphics go...any self-respecting gamer should know that you NEVER judge a game based soley on the beta. Console folks just aren't used to the idea of a beta and as such they took it to mean that this is what the game will be like.

        • These are the qualities you should be praising in Halo - these are the things that make it stand out above frankly better shooters. Not aiming, not controls, not length, and not storyline.

          I'm sorry, I didn't realize an opinion could be wrong. My apologies, Mr. AC. You have shown me the truth!
            • And where in my OP did you ever see me say that Halo was revolutionary, ground-breaking, or original? If you can find somewhere in my post where I said that, then my "wrong" opinion will change.

              I've played FPS's since Catacomb 3D [wikipedia.org]. I am very well aware of what was out there prior to Halo, and I am very well aware that Halo did nothing that was overly revolutionary or special.

              But you know what? My 04 RSX Type-S might not be faster than a Ferrari Enzo, but it's still a fuckin' blast to drive.

        • Of all the things to complain about Halo... the controls? Halo was the first console shooter to implement anything even close to the oh-so-sweet WADS+mouse interface used in PC shooters. PC gamers complain about the lack of precision aiming, which is true, though saying that Goldeneye is better is just a plain lie. The "aim mode" in Goldeneye required the user to stop moving, be a sitting duck, while the ever-finicky N64 analog stick chased a moving target around the screen. Not much better, really.

          As for

          • Would like to see more choices with customising the Halo buttons on the controller. They were not ideal in Halo 2. Try dual wielding in Boxer and then go directly into a beatdown - not sure that it works?

    • Re:Halo - When Marketing Substitutes Worth (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Blakey Rat (99501) on Friday August 10 2007, @12:39PM (#20185373)
      But it will be saddening to see the bought and paid for reviews pour in for the game as gamers where most of us still like to believe that the games market is a place where you live or die on actual game worth and not how many millions a company has to throw at reviews and the press.

      And it's utterly impossible that opinions may vary, and that some people might actually like the Halo series of games without being bribed? I've played a hell of a lot of FPS games, going back to Marathon, Doom, System Shock 2, Unreal Tourney, etc. The fact of the matter is that I think Halo 2 is a really, really fun game, and that's all I care about. Then again, I'm not a snob with the whole "oh games without a mouse all suck!" crap that you see around here so often.
      • > Then again, I'm not a snob with the whole "oh games without a mouse all suck!" crap that you see around here so often.

        No, but the control scheme still *relatively* sucks. I just want to see a shooter that lets me hold down a shoulder button to freeze the rotation to a certain angle, and use the right stick as an absolute pointer, i.e. the view moves to a point relative to where the stick points, and snaps back with the stick, rather than turning continuously like a damn turret. Bonus points if I can
          • Don't know Goldeneye except by its reputation (everyone raved about it). But nothing need preclude moving while aiming with this -- all you're doing is changing the behavior of the right-hand stick, not the left. And the mechanic would be have to be activated by a button like a shoulder button or a stick press anyway.

            I like to think FPS developers have actually tried this and found practical problems with it, but if it took us this long to even get simple things like variable sensitivity control on the ri

      • I'm not a snob with the whole "oh games without a mouse all suck!" crap that you see around here so often.

        The FPS genre was designed with keyboard and mouse in mind. Mice are far more precise than using controllers, and that's a fact. This is perhaps best illustrated by the recent game Shadowrun, one of the few FPS with both console and PC play, in which console players are given auto-aim and the cone of fire is limited for PC players to keep the PC players from stomping all over the console players in multiplayer games.

        Halo is fun, don't get me wrong, but it controls better (and looks better) on the PC. Some

        • Halo is fun, don't get me wrong, but it controls better (and looks better) on the PC. Some genres, like FPS, RTS, MMORPG, and 4X strategy, just work better on the PC.

          Yes, but the PC doesn't work better for the games:

          Cost: Sure, Steel Battalion for Xbox has more precise controls than MechAssault, but it also cost $200 when it came out. How many gamers played Steel Battalion compared to MechAssualt? Console gaming is much cheaper. I just spent $800 on a Dell PC that sucks at games (not Dell's fault; I'm not u
    • Do I re-moderate this guy back to informative or reply?

      Seriously - a little conspiracy theoried but on the money no less, Halo is NOT a bad game but it is, without a doubt one of the most over-rated games in history, good lord is it over rated.

      I finished the first one it had some kind of half decent story, kind of, fairly fun gameplay I won't deny and not shabby graphics, the second one wasn't worth finishing and I quit about 5 hours into it.

      So SOOOooooo overrated, it boggles my mind every time the topic co

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