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Today is the day, yes Halo 3 has been released to the public today. Expectations are huge for the new game, with several in the video game industry calling today the most historic gaming release day ever. The game is expected to pull in more than $150 million in sales in its first 24 hours. $150 million in 24 hours is an astronomical number, but Halo 3 certainly has built up gamer loyalty, and that number will likely be reached or even surpassed. There simply has never been more hype surrounding a gaming release. Given the amount of hype that the Halo 3 release has produced, I felt it would be helpful to take a look at who stands to benefit from this release.

• Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq:MSFT)- Microsoft is most definitely the biggest beneficiary of Halo 3. Microsoft has been able to avoid paying massive licensing fees because the company owns the rights to the "Halo" franchise. The company spent a total of just $60 million on Halo 3. Profit margins are likely to reach as high as a staggering 90% for Microsoft from Halo 3. XBox 360 console sales should benefit in a big way, and the online gaming service Microsoft provides will certainly see its numbers rise.
• Gamestop Corporation (NYSE:GME)- The company has gone all-out in bringing in Halo 3 gamers on release day. Gamestop conducted a Halo 3 launch party at over 3,700 stores starting at 9 pm last night. The company also opened a Halo store, which includes accessories and t-shirts related to the Halo series.
• Best Buy Company Inc. (NYSE:BBY) Best Buy is the largest electronics retailer in the country and is sure to benefit in a huge way. The company had launch events at 88 locations, which included giveaways that probably lured in some extra gamers.
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Though the video game section of Wal-Mart doesn't account for that big of a percentage of its overall revenue, the company is the top seller of video games, even besting GME because of its sheer size and number of stores. The company could see a small boost to their bottom line especially if Halo 3 sales at their stores encourage those consumers to buy other products at the store during their visit.

All of these companies stand to benefit from Halo 3 as the gamers show their love for the Halo series. Initial reviews of Halo 3 have been very positive, with several reviewers calling it the best XBox 360 game ever made.

The game will sell for right around $60 everywhere. Watch for copies of this game to be flying off the shelf at a record pace.

Wayne Grover, a Halo fan from Texas who planned to wait in line Texas last night probably described the plans of Halo fans everywhere when he explained that he was going to wait in line and then have a party with his friends during which they would, "play through it until we beat it — or pass out.”

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