January 20^th, 2005 (2:51pm) - Microsoft Corp. has announced that its Xbox Live online gaming service has set a new standard for online gaming with more than 1.4 million members around the world, surpassing expectations and cementing its position as a leader in the digital entertainment landscape.

"Our consumers are passionate about online gameplay and seek larger than life digital entertainment experiences," said Robbie Bach, senior vice president of the Home and Entertainment Division and Chief Xbox Officer at Microsoft. "We will continue to offer our thriving community best-in-class games, downloadable content, unique programming and the expanded features and services found only on Xbox and Xbox Live."

There are now more than 200 Xbox Live-enabled titles, making it the richest library of online console games available today. Halo 2 – which has now sold more than 6.4 million copies worldwide since November – helped propel the service to new heights. The overall Halo franchise, which includes predecessor Halo: Combat Evolved for the PC and Xbox, has sold a collective 12.8 million copies in just three years.

"The Xbox Live community has an insatiable appetite for riveting, connected and social game experiences," said Cameron Ferroni, general manager of Xbox Live. "Our ongoing vision is to create online experiences that top anything else our community has seen to date. Halo 2 is another great example of how Xbox Live continues to set the standard for online gameplay."

Smashing previously established records, the Xbox Live community has logged a record-breaking 91 million hours playing Halo 2 since the title’s launch – more than any other Xbox Live game in the two-year history of the service. In addition, the instantly immersive gameplay has resulted in close to 61 million logged sessions on the game, with an average session lasting nearly 92 minutes, approximately the length of a major motion picture.

Xbox Live-enabled titles in 2005 promise to boost additional Xbox Live membership growth. Games such as Microsoft Game Studios’ Forza Motorsport, LucasArts’ Star Wars Republic Commando, Vicarious Visions’ Doom III and Rare’s Conker: Live and Reloaded promise to drive additional online gaming growth in the coming months.

Microsoft introduced the first broadly adopted online gaming service in North America in November 2002 and in Europe in March 2003, and continues to expand the appeal and adoption of broadband. The service continues to evolve with improved features like downloadable content, voice messages and alerts, coupled with highly anticipated games and unique programming such as "Game with Fame", "Play and Win", and "Mystery Gamer."