Killzone 2 sales top 1 million

Yesterday, the NPD Group released its March US game-industry sales numbers. Besides revealing the less-than-90,000-unit launch of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the figures showed that the heavily hyped Killzone 2 had a middling month, coming in at seventh place with 296,000 units. Coupled with the 323,000 units that it sold in February, the game's US total now stands at 619,000 units--nearly equaling the original Killzone's entire life-to-date haul.

Sony Computer Entertainment was also quick to point out that US sales are just part of the global picture. "With more than 1 million copies sold worldwide and a truly only-on-PlayStation experience, the hit game has garnered the biggest initial success at retail of any first-party PS3 title to date, and will continue to drive incentive for hardware sales throughout the year," the company crowed in a statement.

Killzone 2 is also currently available in Japan and in Europe, where it was developed at the Sony-owned, Amsterdam-based Guerilla Games. Though it received critical plaudits for its intense graphics--first teased via the controversial E3 2005 trailer--the game's sleek visuals did not come cheap. According to a 2006 article in the Dutch newspaper de Volksrant, Killzone 2 is the most expensive entertainment project in the Netherlands' history, with a budget of around €16 million--approximately $21 million at today's exchange rates.

Luckily, Killzone 2 will continue to generate income for Sony postrelease. The game will get its first downloadable content update--the Steel and Titanium Map Pack--on April 30, although prices for the add-on have yet to be announced.