Gears of War 2 Sales Top 2 Million Units in its Blockbuster Opening Weekend

November 12, 2008

Gears of War 2 Sales Top 2
Million Units in its Blockbuster Opening Weekend

Gears of War 2 players help push
the number of concurrent Xbox LIVE users to an all-time high

One of the biggest entertainment
events of the holiday season has arrived. With weekend sales topping 2 million
units worldwide, Gears of War 2 is well on its way to becoming one of the
biggest releases of this console generation.

Over 20,000 retail locations opened
their doors at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 to celebrate the worldwide release
of Gears of War 2. After months of anticipation, throngs of eager fans in 20
countries were finally able to get their hands on the Xbox 360 exclusive title.

“We were so excited to launch ‘Gears
of War 2’ on the same day all around the world, something virtually unheard of
in the games business,” said Cliff Bleszinski, design director at Epic Games.
“We wanted our fans, no matter where they live, to have a shared experience on
day one, and that’s exactly what’s happened.”

More than 1.5 million people logged
into “Gears of War 2” on Xbox LIVE during the weekend, racking up a total 15
million gameplay hours and helping set a new record for concurrent LIVE players.
These players also collectively unlocked more than 19 million Achievements.

“Gears of War 2” provides an epic,
adrenaline-fuelled rollercoaster ride that expands upon the original game’s
themes of loss, hope and survival. “Gears of War 2” sees COG heroes Marcus Fenix
and Delta Squad fighting to save the last cities on Sera from an engulfing
Locust threat, while the mission turns personal for Dominic Santiago as he
uncovers clues in the search for his missing wife, Maria.