Microsoft announced this morning that Gears of War 3 surpassed three million sales during its first week at retail. The publisher also reveled in this small window of opportunity to say that Gears 3, in just one week, "has already grossed more than any 2011 video game to date." That's a record it'll be lucky to hold past November 8 when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 drops.

The success of the latest sequel also pushes the Gears of War franchise over the billion dollar mark in lifetime sales, Microsoft claims. It is also the only Xbox 360-exclusive franchise to reach this milestone after being introduced during the current console generation -- ruling out the longer-running Halo for that ultra-specific sales commendation.