Gamers queue on Oxford Street in London for the midnight launch of Gears of War 3
The event started earlier in the day with an animatronic "Locust" trooper peering out from a cage in Marble Arch – no doubt to the confusion of shoppers unfamiliar with the terrifying alien enemies from Microsoft's sci-fi shooter series, Gears of War. But the culmination was, of course, the 12.01am launch of the third and "final" chapter in the gaming phenomenon, with hero Marcus Fenix looking to save the last scraps of humanity from annihilation.
Hundreds queued outside Game's flagship store on Oxford Street in London on Monday night to secure a copy of the Xbox 360 title, with 400 other stores open throughout the UK. Microsoft reckons more than 20,000 shops worldwide simultaneously prepared to distribute galactic war to excited customers, with 1.3m copies of the game already secured via pre-order.
"Gears is an incredibly successful franchise for us, from both a software and platform perspective," said Stephen McGill, Microsoft's UK director of Xbox and entertainment. "Back in 2006, when Gears of War first launched, it defined what a high definition blockbusting game should be, and both Gears 2 and 3 have built upon this success. Gears fans are one of the most passionate communities in the world and represent an audience that has been – and still is – hugely critical for us. Gears of War will be the biggest console exclusive of the year."
Gears of War follows a desperate band of human soldiers whose colony planet of Sera is suddenly overrun by subterranean monsters known as the Locust. The series, which has sold more than 13m copies to date, is vital to Microsoft's Xbox platform as it is exclusive to the console, and unavailable on rival machines such as the PlayStation 3 and Wii (although PC conversions of previous Gears titles have been released).
Its success has inspired a range of novels, comics and even replica armour and guns. A movie adaptation is also being planned.
Monday night's launch will kick off what looks to be a busy two months for the global games industry. Military shooter rivals Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are set to dominate the winter, but they will be joined by epic role-playing game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, football sim, Fifa 12 and historical adventure Assassin's Creed: Revelations – all due out before Christmas.
But is this really the end of the massively successful Gears franchise? Of course not. Speaking to the Guardian, McGill was careful to point out that Gears 3 "provides a conclusion to the current trilogy". It is thought developer Epic Games is already preparing a follow-up series with a new cast of characters continuing the unending – and profitable – battle for humanity's survival.
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