Game on: New Halo release set for record books

Microsoft is poised to re-enter the record books when it launches Halo: Reach on Tuesday.

Global sales of the latest Xbox game are expected to push the Halo franchise well over the $2bn mark. Guinness World Records has already recognised the Halo trilogy – the prequel to Reach – as the biggest video game franchise to date.

Sports stars such as boxer Joe Calzaghe and footballer Rio Ferdinand attended the launch of Reach on Thursday.

Neil Thompson, the head of Microsoft's entertainment division said: "We are about to see enormous growth in this sector."