Gears of War series sales hit 19 million

The Gears of War series has reached a new sales milestone. Microsoft revealed to Joystiq today that the third-person shooter franchise has now moved 19 million units life-to-date.

Microsoft did not break down sales figures for specific games, though it is known that Gears of War 3 managed to sell 3 million units during its first week on sale in September 2011.

Additionally, the first two Gears of War titles sold a combined 12 million units, suggesting Gears of War 3 has added an additional 3 million sales to its total, in line with former design director Cliff Bleszinski's hopes.

The next entry in the Gears of War series is Gears of War: Judgement, which is due out March 19, 2013 exclusively for Xbox 360. Developed by Epic Games in conjunction with Bulletstorm studio People Can Fly, the project focuses on series soldier Damon Baird and will not use the Kinect.

For more on Gears of War: Judgment, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.