Halo 5 sold 4million+ copies using vgchartz numbers

[Zanten]

Not sure what the history in terms of sales numbers for each game at launch have been, so can't speak for how likely four million sounds. I don't actually think that Halo 5 flopped, or did poorly, BUT I don't believe its unit sales (in terms of how many copies are now in the hands of customers) will have broken any records.

Their statement did come across with more than a little in the way of spin, but my theory on that wasn't that they were trying to hide bad sales, or even disappointing sales, but that they wanted to turn a 'Win' ('Halo 5 Sells Well Within Expected Numbers, Everyone Makes Bank, Investment More Than Repaid And Consoles Are Moved As A Result!') into a 'Big Win.' ('Biggest Halo Launch Ever!') The Win is nice, but largely expected from a series that sells like hotcakes on a regular basis, and likewise moves consoles; people would offer the usual congratulations, fans would celebrate, but it'd still be within expectations and word would likely fade pretty fast.

But the Big Win means that, even by the standards of the franchise itself, it is an exceptional success, topping even the nigh-legendary Halo 3. This unexpected runaway hit turns into mass headlines, fantastic PR, etc, etc, all that further boost the title's image as a desirable must-have, (along with the console it's featured on, of course.) 'The Most Successful Halo Game Ever' is quite a feather in the cap, after all, and a great way to kick off the holiday season. Heck, the statement itself called the game 'The anchor title in the greatest holiday games lineup in Xbox history.' What better anchor than the biggest Halo of them all?

Now, did it sell enough actual units of the game to top Halo 3, or others? No clue. Even if Microsoft didn't release specific numbers, though- fair enough, as there's precedent- I can't help but figure that if they KNEW they'd sold more units of Halo 5 at launch than any other Halo title, it would have been mentioned, even if without going into nitty gritty figures. I mean, they threw every OTHER positive statistic they could out there, including how they broke the record for people watching their launch broadcast, nobody thinks 'Oh, and more gamers chose Halo 5 than any other Halo game before' would have gotten in there too?

That they didn't say it suggests they were left with two options; either use unit sales and describe the game as the second or third-fastest selling (whatever it was) Halo title to date, a respectable but somewhat less spectacular title... oooor opt for the bigger 'Best Launch EVER!' title by just keeping the way you define it very... focused. =P