Microsoft has revealed that its latest video game, Halo: Reach (review), has generated $200 million in global sales on its launch day, as first posted by TechFlash. Reach starts at $60, with special editions priced at $80 and $250, while a special Xbox console plus the new version of the game goes for $400.

The $200 million number makes Halo: Reach not only the biggest game Microsoft has ever released, but the biggest launch of any game or movie this year (so far, anyway). For the sake of comparison, Halo 3 garnered $170 million in its first 24 hours, and $300 million in its first week. The number of gamers playing Reach on Xbox Live has topped the number playing Halo 3, though Microsoft did not disclose exact numbers.

The Halo franchise has sold more than 34 million copies in its nine-year history, grossing nearly $2 billion in sales, helping Microsoft push its Xbox console forward. The company is hoping Reach will continue the trend for the 2010 holiday shopping season as it takes on Nintendo and Sony with its Xbox 360 Slim as well as Kinect.