It's already been well established that Epic Games' Xbox 360 shooter Gears of War is a hit. In the first two weeks after the game's November release, Microsoft confirmed that it had already sold a million copies worldwide and that it had surpassed Halo 2 as the most-played game on the Xbox Live service. There was even speculation about a fourth installment in the series, when a sequel of any kind has yet to be announced.

　　Today, less than six weeks after Gears of War's "Emergence Day" launch, Microsoft announced that sales had tallied up to more than 2 million copies worldwide. The game has also gone platinum in the US, reaching the 1 million mark. Since the game went on sale November 7, the daily rate of Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, which are required for online play, has increased more than 50 percent.

　　In a statement, Epic Games president Michael Capps said the development team was "stoked" at the news, and said fans can count on the company delivering "new gameplay" through Xbox Live. Previously, Capps assured fans that his company would provide free downloadable content for all its games.