Microsoft and Epic Games has confirmed that “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 20 September 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.

Helping propel “Gears of War 3” pre-orders worldwide, 1.29 million fans from more than 143 countries answered the call to join the “Gears of War 3” public multiplayer beta. Featuring three gameplay modes across four news maps while running on dedicated servers for the first time, the multiplayer beta concluded on Sunday 15 May 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.”