First-day sales of Halo 3, one of the most heavily marketed video games in history, have exceeded $170m in the US, figures from Microsoft show.

It was the most successful entertainment product launch ever, easily surpassing figures set by blockbuster movie Spider-Man 3.

Hordes of Halo fanatics queued outside American high street stores on Monday night as they tried to get their hands on the third title in the popular series.

Developed by Bungie Studios, the Halo franchise is exclusive to Microsoft's next-generation Xbox 360.

"Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, in a statement.

Shane Kim, Microsoft Game Studios: "Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon."

The first two titles have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.

Halo 2 generated more than $125m in sales in its first 24 hours on release back in 2004.

"Our customers have been waiting for Halo 3 since the day after Halo 2 launched in 2004," said Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy.

"Halo 3 is going to bring the experience to new levels, and we are excited to help our customers get the best possible game playing experience."

According to Microsoft, over 1.4 million people have gone online to play Halo 3 since its much-hyped release.

Halo 3, which was launched in Europe on Wednesday, has been billed as Microsoft's big weapon in the console wars with Nintendo and Sony.

Reports suggest that US-based Microsoft has spent a whopping $10m on promoting the title.

The game also cost the company a reported $15m to develop.

Halo 3 is available in three different versions in the US - Standard Edition at $59.99, Limited Edition for $69.99 and the Legendary Edition at $129.99.

By the end of the week, fans in 37 countries will be playing the title Wired magazine recently called "a cultural touchstone, a Star Wars for the thumb stick generation".

The article Halo 3 sales exceed $170m in 24 hours originally appeared on 999 Today