Gears of War 3 received solid review scores (although not all to the liking of Cliff Bleszinski) and now we can definitively say that the game has the commercial success to match. After becoming the fastest pre-ordered Xbox 360 exclusive, Gears 3 has now gone on to sell 3 million copies in the first week alone.
Those 3 million sold mean two things: 1) Gears 3 is now the best selling title in 2011 (so far... Modern Warfare 3 may change that); and 2) The Gears franchise has been propelled past the $1 billion sales mark. Gears is the first Xbox exclusive franchise to surpass the $1 billion milestone.
There have also been 3 million unique users logging into Xbox Live to play Gears 3 online since launch.
“Gears of War was the first killer app for Xbox 360, and the series has continued to contribute directly to the overall success of the platform ever since,” said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Phil Spencer. “Gears of War 3 kicked off the biggest holiday in Xbox history with a bang last week, setting the standard for the kinds of amazing, action-packed experiences gamers should expect on Xbox 360 this year.”
