Cary company has smash hit with 'Gears of War 3'

Approximately 1 million people have already ordered the game, which doesn’t go on sale until September. However, a free beta version offered during the past month drew more than 1 million sales, with gamers loving the shoot-em-up action that produced some 12 million sales for the first two tales in the Man vs. Locust Horde throw down.

According to Microsoft, the game’s publisher, Gears 3 has already topped some popular “Halo” titles in pre-release sales. Epic design mastermind Cliff Bleszinki says Gears 3 is already an "an overwhelming success.”

"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,” he said.

“Consumer demand for Gears of War 3 has been incredible,” Bob McKenzie, senior vice president for merchandising at video game retailer GameStop, said in a statement released by Epic.

“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 3 on track to be one of the year’s biggest blockbuster gaming hits," he said.