It was always going to big, but the release of Halo 4 has seen astronomical sales reminding everyone why Halo is one of the biggest franchises ever.

The game is on track to hit $300 million in global sales for its first week, becoming the biggest Halo launch yet and the biggest entertainment launch of the year.

Not a bad claim in a year that has seen the release of Borderlands 2 and Diablo III, not to mention some of the highest-grossing films of all time including The Avengers.

Halo 4 has dwarfed them all, hauling total sales for the franchise to more than $3.38 billion.

Corporate vice-president of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer says they’re happy with the sales at the start of the holiday season.

“We’re thrilled that Halo 4 has emerged as the biggest US entertainment launch of the year,” he says.

“Halo 4 is kicking off a strong holiday season and has become the must-have blockbuster experience of the year.”

He might be right as Halo 4 also broke the record for the largest number of players in the history of the franchise with over four million players in the first five days.

Interest in the franchise is also high, with a Microsoft announcement of new online content for the live-action digital series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn has generated more than 46 million view in total.

The sales figures are in, but we want to hear from you guys – have you bought Halo 4? Is it worth the hype? Let us know in the comments section.