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Gears of War 3 beta attracted 1.29 million testers

James Ransom-Wiley
Updated ·4 min read

The cogs did their part, as 1.29 million fans enlisted in the recent Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta and pre-ordered the game in hordes. In all, Epic gathered 249 years worth of match-time data from players spanning 145 countries during the four-week public testing phase, which wrapped up this past Sunday. And it was all up and running, for the first time, on dedicated servers. (Oorah!)

While neither Microsoft nor Epic specified how many beta testers got in early through their "Epic Edition" copies of Bulletstorm, the pair was quite pleased to announce that Gears of War 3 has surpassed one million pre-orders (the other ticket into the beta) -- and we're still four months away from the game's September 20 launch. That's got to be some kind of record, right?

Uh-huh. Gears 3 now holds the distinguished honor of being "the fastest pre-ordered Xbox exclusive title to reach this milestone in the history of the platform." (*Golf clap*)

Pore over some more beta stats after the break.



Gears of War 3 beta stats:

  • 1.29 million people participated in the beta

  • 145 different countries participated in the beta

  • 249 years worth of matches played

  • More than 11 million matches completed

  • More than 927 million kills recorded

  • More than 131 million executions performed

  • More than 23 million deaths by chainsaw

  • Nearly 23 BILLION bullets fired

  • 4.9 billion ribbons and 291 million medals earned

  • 435,000 people earned the beta-exclusive Thrashball Cole skin to use in the retail game when it launches in September

  • 234,000 people earned the beta-exclusive Gold Retro Lancer to use in the retail game when it launches in September

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"Gears of War 3" Pre-orders Top One Million Units Worldwide; Fastest Pre-Ordered Title in Platform History
Public multiplayer beta enlists more than 1.29 million players, helping shape the biggest blockbuster of 2011


Microsoft and Epic Games today announced "Gears of War 3" surpassed one million worldwide pre-orders, making it the fastest pre-ordered Xbox exclusive title to reach this milestone in the history of the platform. Launching Sept. 20, 2011, "Gears of War 3" marks the conclusion of one of the most renowned sagas in video game history, and fans are already lining up to join Marcus Fenix and his fellow COG soldiers in humanity's final stand against the parasitic Lambent and savage Locust threats.

"Consumer demand for 'Gears of War 3' has been incredible," said Bob McKenzie, Senior VP of Merchandising at GameStop. "It is one of the few times in our history that we've seen a title hit this level of pre-order numbers four months out from launch, putting 'Gears of War 3' on track to be one of the year's biggest blockbuster gaming hits."

Helping propel "Gears of War 3" pre-orders worldwide, 1.29 million fans from 145 countries answered the call to join the "Gears of War 3" public multiplayer beta. Featuring three distinct gameplay modes across four new maps while running on dedicated servers for the first time, the multiplayer beta concluded on Sunday, May 15 with fans collectively logging more than 249 years worth of gameplay over Xbox LIVE.

"An overwhelming success – we can't thank the fans enough," said Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski. "While the beta was a fun way to give players an early taste of our game, it also provided us with invaluable feedback to help us refine and polish 'Gears of War 3' to ensure it's truly the culmination of the trilogy we promised to the fans."

Over the course of four weeks, fans played more than 11 million multiplayer matches, earning ribbons and medals, unlocking weapon skins and finishing off enemies with countless new execution moves, among other incredible feats:

  • 1.29 million people participated in the beta

  • 145 different countries participated in the beta

  • 249 years worth of matches played

  • More than 11 million matches completed

  • More than 927 million kills recorded

  • More than 131 million executions performed

  • More than 23 million deaths by chainsaw

  • Nearly 23 BILLION bullets fired

  • 4.9 billion ribbons and 291 million medals earned

  • 435,000 people earned the beta-exclusive Thrashball Cole skin to use in the retail game when it launches in September

  • 234,000 people earned the beta-exclusive Gold Retro Lancer to use in the retail game when it launches in September


Developed by acclaimed studio Epic Games, "Gears of War 3" is available for pre-order today in three distinct editions – Standard ($59.99 USD), Limited ($79.99) and Epic ($149.99). For additional details on the game and the beta, please visit gearsofwar.xbox.com.

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