Credit: Shutterstock photoThe newly launched video game Halo 5: Guardians received overwhelming response, and this brought good news for Microsoft CorporationMSFT . The huge success of the game, available only on Xbox One, is bound to boost the demand for the gaming console.
Halo 5: Guardians, launched on Oct 27, recorded $400 million in sales worldwide in the first week, including the sales of Halo-themed hardware, Xbox One. According to the software giant, it was also the best-selling digital game ever in the Xbox Store for an opening week. With the release, the gaming franchise has now made over $5 billion.
Gamers have already played 12 million hours in campaign mode and 9 million hours in multiplayer, bringing the total to 21 million. On the night of its release, Halo 5 was streamed by 330,000 gamers, generating 5.5 million views in the first week which earned it the title of the "most watched video game launch broadcast" in the Guinness Book of World Record.
According to Microsoft, "With the highest week one attach rate for a Microsoft first party title on Xbox One, Halo 5: Guardians was the most played of any game on Xbox One, as well as the most played on Xbox Live".
With such demand for Halo 5, the company appears better positioned against players like Sony SNE . The positive reviews should drive Xbox One sales through the holiday season as well.
Microsoft has undertaken several aggressive measures to woo back gamers, compete more effectively against Sony's PlayStation 4 and drive Xbox One demand. The success of Halo 5: Guardians could help the company stay ahead during this holiday season. While the company still has some way to go, the good news is it appears to be on track with both the volume of games and pricing skewed slightly in its favor. However, only time will tell if Halo 5 can spark sales for Microsoft.
Microsoft has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A couple of stocks worth considering are Cadence Design Systems Inc. CDNS and Konami Holdings Corporation KNMCY , both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
