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As the countdown continues for the entertainment event of the year —
the launch of Halo 3 — the videogame continues to set records
and establish new precedents
 for
an entertainment launch. Today, Microsoft Corp. announced that
pre-orders in North America for the exclusive Xbox360 title have
exceeded the 1 Million milestone. In addition, Microsoft unveiled
the first exciting details of upcoming promotions from leading
consumer brands, including Mountain Dew, 7-Eleven,
Pontiac, Comcast and Burger King Corp.
In a strategy utilized in other big entertainment launches,
retailers around the world have begun taking pre-orders, enabling
consumers to order one of the three versions of Halo 3:
Standard Edition, Limited Edition and the
ultra-collectible Legendary Edition. In fact, demand has been
so strong for the Legendary Edition of the game that it is
expected to be sold out by the time the game launches on Sept. 25.
Retailers have also noted that the presales for Halo 3 are
the fastest in videogame history.
“What we’ve experienced is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Bob
McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp. “Halo
3 has eclipsed many previous records and will prove to be one of
the must-have items of 2007.”
“The excitement for Halo 3 is incredible,” said Jill
Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy. “From our
pre-orders online and the buzz we’re hearing in our stores, we know
this release is going to be one of the biggest entertainment events
of the year. We ’re
thrilled to be able to bring it to our customers.”
For the first time in videogame history and on par with the scope of
major movie releases, some of the world’s biggest consumer brands
have aligned to support the launch. Many plan to offer a variety of
promotions that give consumers the opportunity to obtain unique
Halo 3-branded products and prizes and participate in
one-of-a-kind Halo 3-themed events.
“This September, Halo 3 will push videogame entertainment
into the forefront of mainstream culture,” said Chris Di Cesare,
director of creative marketing at Microsoft. “Teaming up with some
of the world’s strongest and most recognizable brands is
trailblazing new paths and cementing videogames as big entertainment
on par with major event films, and is a testament to the excitement
and anticipation intrinsically linked to Halo 3.”
Mountain Dew will unveil the first beverage co-branded with a
videogame, Mountain Dew Game Fuel. Game Fuel has the
same great taste of Mountain Dew with an invigorating blast
of citrus cherry flavour and added caffeine for maximum intensity.
Game Fuel will come in 20-ounce bottles, 2-litre bottles and
12-packs of 12-ounce cans and will be available in the US for a
limited time starting Aug. 13, 2007.
7-Eleven today confirmed its plans to support the launch of
Halo 3 through a variety of in-store promotions, including
three Halo 3-branded collectible Slurpee cups. In addition,
7-Eleven will run a Halo 3 promotion with Mountain
Dew Game Fuel and Doritos, with thousands of Halo 3-themed
prizes, including, as grand
prize, a chance to win a role as a voice actor in the upcoming
Xbox360 videogame, Halo Wars, by Ensemble Studios. In a few
select markets, Mountain Dew will offer a special-edition
aluminium bottle of Mountain Dew Game Fuel with an exclusive
design created by Bungie Studios, the developers of Halo 3.
This bottle will be available in very limited quantities, making it
a highly sought-after collector’s item.
Pontiac will provide consumers with several exclusive Halo
3-related opportunities. It will host Pontiac Gamers
Garage events in select locations, providing consumers with a
chance to play the game for the first time before its release. In
addition, in support of the launch of its upcoming high-performance
G6 GXP Street, Pontiac will provide 1,000 consumers with a
copy of the game, and one lucky gamer will win a limited-edition
Halo 3 G6 GXP Street car.
Burger King Corp. will continue its sponsorship of Xbox360
with national, in-restaurant support from Sept. 24 through Oct. 22.
Halo 3-themed packaging will offer customers access to
exclusive content by logging on to
http://www.bk.com/halo3 beginning Sept. 23. Graphics will
be featured on select packaging, including the 42-ounce cup and
King FRYPOD.
Comcast has also joined the Halo 3 campaign and will
host exclusive video content, including user-generated movies and
machinima, on its Web sites
http://gameinvasion.net and
http://www.ziddio.com. Comcast will also feature
standard- and High-Definition Halo 3 videos on its signature
ON DEMAND service.
Halo 3 is also the official sponsor of the Projekt
Revolution tour this summer, which includes bands Linkin Park
and My Chemical Romance. Exclusive Halo 3 VIP events will
take place in select cities on the tour, where attendees will
receive Halo 3-themed merchandise and have an opportunity to
meet the members of Linkin Park. |
