Gears of War 3 sells 3-million copies

With the launch of Gears of War 3, many fans stood for long hours in queues, trying to get their hands on a copy of the game as soon as it was released – and it seemed to have paid off.

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson has announced that the title managed to break all sorts of records in the first week alone.

“Following more than 22,000 midnight madness launch events, Microsoft and Epic Games today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive sold more than three million copies in its first week since release, cementing Gears 3 as the biggest game of 2011 and catapulting the franchise beyond one billion dollars in lifetime sales,” Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE’s Major Nelson, wrote on his blog.

He also added that the game manage to gross more than any other game. “In just one week, Gears 3 has already grossed more than any 2011 video game to date.”

Whether it will be able to hold on to that record needs to be seen as various other big titles will be released later this year, such as Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 3 and Activision’s Modern Warfare 3.

Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor