If Nintendo has Mario and Facebook has FarmVille, then Microsoft has the Halo series. It has been the company’s “killer app” for its Xbox game consoles, a nine-year franchise, its games selling 34 million copies worldwide, netting nearly $2 billion to date. It has also spawned a market for Halo paraphernalia, including New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures and apparel.
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