Gears of War 2 sales hit 3 million mark

By Ellie Gibson Published 9 December, 2008

Sequel selling faster than the original.

More than 3 million copies of Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2 have now been sold.

That's according to Mark Rein, the vice president of Epic Games. He told Eurogamer, "Microsoft confirmed to me this afternoon that Gears of War 2 sell-through surpassed 3 million units as of last week."

The original Gears, released in November 2006, was also a huge hit - but it was 10 weeks before sales reached the 3 million mark.

Gears of War 2 was released on 7th November, so it's taken just a month for the sequel to hit the same target. The news isn't altogether surprising when you consider that 2 million copies of the game were sold during the opening weekend alone.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • dfunked #1 3 years ago

    Nice to see a smaller company like Epic doing so well.

    (who am I kidding, just wanted first post!)

  • bad09 #2 3 years ago

    Gears sat on my shelf for ages before I started it. Dead Space was taking up my gaming time, but I'm stuck so gave it a break.

    Since then Gears 2 is eating the time (well, that and chucking The Hoff in Pain - endless fun Gears can't compete with!!), I'm actually enjoying the SP this time around (haven't really touched MP yet). Just a shooter, but such a sweet shooter.

    Well deserved sales, well done Epic.

  • onyxbox #3 3 years ago

    Does anyone know how long it'll take to finish GoW2 SP?

    (I'm thinking of starting it this week but I want Fable 2 to be my Christmas holiday game)

  • Eraysor #4 3 years ago

    Not bad considering I haven't bought it yet.

  • mattigan #5 3 years ago

    Depends on the difficulty you select and if you play it in Co-op. I finished it in around 15hrs on Hardcore diffuculty playing coop with a mate (+ taking my time)

  • mattigan #6 3 years ago

    It is a lot of fun, plus the horde mode is very good too.

  • just4funUK #7 3 years ago

    I got the game on release day and had finished it on casual by the sunday night. The sequel is not as good as the original.

    Don't even plan on trying to play a game online as it can now take any where between 5-20 minutes to get a game. Also you now can not host your own game types/maps as Gears of War 2's online method is a vote on everything method that does not work also you dont go back to a lobby after a game you go back to looking for 9 new playsers to play with. The good news is Gears of War (the original) online side is picking up again because of how bad 2 is online. If it aint broke dont fix it.
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/08 @ 08:54

  • Xerx3s #8 3 years ago

    "I got the game on release day and had finished it on casual by the sunday night. The sequel is not as good as the original. "

    Rubbish imo. The sequel does everything better.

  • menage #9 3 years ago

    I never liked the first one very much but this really is fucking Epic.

    Great to see it's doing well then.

    Also playing it on casual really isn't the way to go, saps all the fun right out due to lack of challenge. And that's from someone who plays this shit on easy most of the time.
    Edited by 2 at 09/12/08 @ 09:06

  • Douche #10 3 years ago

    I'm a big Gears of War and Epic fan, but the multiplayer shambles is a disgrace.

    What is the current situation? Are epic going to release another patch or what? They have been pretty quiet about the whole thing.

  • Les #11 3 years ago

    Goes to show how successful you can be when product qualities and userbase demands come together. E.g. KZ2 will not reach that many copies sold that fast (if ever) because the PS3 userbase is more diverse in taste, despite Sony's apparent efforts to turn it into a shooter box.

  • bad09 #12 3 years ago

    / shoots Les

    / crowd cheers

    ;)

  • Dizzy #13 3 years ago

    Good job Epic. Gratz. Awesome game.

    Horde is sweet!

  • asphaltcowboy #14 3 years ago

    Gears 2 is absolutely astounding. It's that simple.

  • patchbox360 #15 3 years ago

    i need to get this game damn it

  • miiiguel #16 3 years ago

    I never played Gears One. When I first experienced Two (the One for me) it was a glorious day, a revelation.
    tip: don't play coop on Hardcore, play it by yourself. Adrenaline shots, just for you!

  • Climhazzard #17 3 years ago

    its a shame the multiplayer is so screwed up.

  • DrDamn #18 3 years ago

    @Farticus
    "Anyone who says unreal engine cannot handle outdoors environments is quite simply wrong."

    I always have a sneaking suspicion Epic hold some of the Gears stuff back from the engine they sell on - or at least include more new stuff in the Gears game that aren't in the standard. I can't think of an UE game which has come close to Gears 1 let alone 2 - maybe we'll see some advancements in other titles over the next year or so. Maybe understandably they are just much better at getting the most out of it, but I think they need to do a better job of passing on this knowledge.

  • miiiguel #19 3 years ago

    ^^ what he said.

    I also find it very, very "strange" how Gears performs. It almos seems like I'm playing a Xbox 720 or something when I compare it to other Unreal powered games.

  • RustyBullet #20 3 years ago

    OK so all they have to do now is fix the shit multiplayer component. Yea horde and co-op work, fix the rest of it.
    Never have i been on a multiplayer game which makes me want to smash my controller in to so many pices, all good and well if you are the host. CRAP

  • Drpwnage #21 3 years ago

    It was never in doubt, but well done anyway Epic.

    The Horde game mode is outstanding fun as well, neatly extending the life of the Co-op side of the game. It plays well even with just two players side by side. The higher difficulty levels see ammo running short and require you constantly juggle weapons and work as a team.
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/08 @ 12:54

  • konniehuqfan #22 3 years ago

    i was reading about this game on wiki and there was a HUGE spoiler! :(

    so don't look at wikipedia if you want to enjoy this game!

  • Lotek #23 3 years ago

    Gears of War 2 is the GOAT in my opinion. I can't recall a game that I've played that is better. Yeah, multiplayer is full of sh*t but the solo campaign is massively improved over Gears 1. The section from riding the Reavers to end of the game is class.

    Hope there's a Gears 3!

  • RustyBullet #24 3 years ago

    Of course there will be a number 3, didnt you listen to the ending. Big clue as to what is going to be going on in the third.