"Gears of War" of Microsoft Fastest Selling Console Game

"'Gears of War' clearly has won the battle for the title of the must-have game of the year," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. "Its phenomenal success is one of many reasons why Xbox 360 is the ultimate place to get together with friends to play this holiday."

"We've always held high hopes for 'Gears of War,' but we never expected such an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and gamers all over the world," said Michael Capps, president, Epic Games. "I can't describe how stoked our team is right now. Our fans can absolutely count on Epic to keep delivering new gameplay through Xbox Live®."

In addition to being the must-have video game of the holiday season, "Gears of War" continues to rage on the Xbox Live battlefield as well, with more than 1 million unique gamers engaging in 10 million online gameplay sessions and unlocking an impressive 7 million achievements.* On top of being the No. 1 title on Xbox Live, "Gears of War" has driven new members to the network; paid registrations per day have skyrocketed more than 50 percent since the game's launch.

About "Gears of War"

More than 80 publications around the world have crowned "Gears of War" the best next-generation game of the year. At the Spike TV Video Game Awards that aired Wednesday evening, the next-gen-defining title garnered four awards, for Best Multiplayer Game, Best Shooter, Studio of the Year (for Epic Games) and Best Graphics. "Gears of War" thrusts gamers into humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures who surface from the bowels of the planet. Blending the best of tactical action games with the best of survival horror titles, "Gears of War" features cinematic, beautifully rendered interactive environments with high-definition visuals. Critics everywhere overwhelmingly agree, making "Gears of War" one of the best-reviewed games of all time.

About Epic Games

Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, N.C. and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console. The company has created multimillion-selling, award-winning titles in its Unreal series, and its latest game, "Gears of War," broke sales records on Xbox 360, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide in the first six weeks.

Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including Console Game of the Year winner "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" by Ubisoft, PC Gamer's Game of the Year "Deus Ex" from Ion Storm/Eidos, "America's Army: Special Forces" by the U.S. Army, and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (PC) by Electronic Arts. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is a two-time consecutive winner of Game Developer magazine's Front Line award for best game engine.

By Microsoft