Sydney, Australia – “Halo 4” may mark the awakening of an ancient evil, but it was fans across Australia who stayed awake to be amongst the first to get their copy of the game as it went on sale at the stroke of midnight.

“Halo 4” is the newest game to launch in the blockbuster Halo series, a franchise that has sold more than 46 million games worldwide and has surpassed $3 billion.  Hailed as “breathtaking, heart-breaking and awe-inspiring,”¹ “Halo 4″ has broken all Microsoft Australia pre-order records to date. Additionally, Halo 4 has garnered universal acclaim as one of the top-rated video games of 2012, according to Metacritic.²

Around the globe, more than 10,000 retail locations in more than 40 countries opened their stores at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 6 to welcome throngs of fans who have eagerly waited more than five years for the next blockbuster instalment of the iconic franchise.

In Australia, more than 250 EB Games and JB Hifi stores remained open until after midnight to celebrate the return of The Master Chief and sell die-hard Spartans their copy of the highly anticipated “Halo 4”.

“The Master Chief is back and we have never seen fans more excited,” said Kimberley Francis, Interactive Entertainment Lead, Microsoft, Australia. “Halo is a part of our pop culture and “Halo 4” will take the Halo franchise to the next level and set the stage for the next decade of Halo.”

Niall “UndueBasher647” Frew, was one of hundreds of people who attended EB Games Campbelltown last night to count down to midnight and was the first Australian to purchase “Halo 4”. Commenting on the experience, he said: “Halo has been my whole life, I feel fantastic! I have been waiting to play Halo 4 for a long time.”

To coincide with the launch of the game today, Microsoft will also activate a Capture the Poster, real-world scavenger hunt for the Xbox online community to claim a rare, signed “Halo 4” artwork, used as billboards in the ”Halo 4” outdoor advertising campaign. It’s the first time in Australia that people have the chance to win billboard advertisements. There will be 400 Australian-exclusive posters signed by Josh Holmes, Creative Director of “Halo 4”, 343 Industries, scattered around Sydney and Melbourne for people to claim.

Xbox Australia Facebook fans will be granted exclusive access to a real-time map revealing the location of claimed posters and clues to those that are still available to aid their hunt.

“These posters are rare and will be in high demand – it will be interesting to see what lengths people will go to be the first to claim their poster and just how quickly they go!” said Kimberley.

Available in stores from today and poised to be the biggest entertainment premiere so far this year, “Halo 4” is expected to break all previous day-one entertainment sales records in 2012, cementing its status as the must-have blockbuster of the year.

Australian fans can ‘like’ the Xbox Australia Facebook page to be part of the scavenger hunt. facebook.com/xboxaustralia.

Facts about the Halo Franchise

• The “Halo” franchise has surpassed $3 billion
• More than 46 million “Halo” games have been sold worldwide
• More than 5 billion hours of “Halo” gameplay have been logged by players while connected to Xbox LIVE.
• Players have accumulated more than 235,182 years in “Halo” playtime.
• The collective time players spent playing “Halo” is more than that required to travel across the Milky Way galaxy and back at the speed of light.
• “Halo 3” (2007) became the biggest entertainment launch in history by generating $170 million in 24 hours in the U.S., surpassing the $125 million day-one record set by “Halo 2” (2004).
• “Halo: Reach” (2010) generated more than $200 million in the U.S. and Europe in 24 hours, eclipsing all previous entertainment launches in 2010.
• More than 9 million copies of the “Halo” series of books, comics and strategy guides have been sold. Nine of the 11 novels are New York Times bestsellers
• “Halo 4” has garnered universal acclaim as one of the top-rated video games of 2012, according to Metacritic.
• Since the launch of “Halo 3,” players have generated more than 120 million pieces of user-generated content from within the game.
• Over 7.5 million Halo action figures have sold since 2005

The standard edition of “Halo 4” will be available for AUD $89.95RRP, and the Limited Edition, which includes an extended 90-minute version of the live-action digital series “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” and additional bonus content, will be available for AUD $129.95RRP.