This was followed by releases on Novemin France and other European countries, and November 11 in the UK. Massive lines formed at midnight releases of the game the event garnered significant media attention. Anticipation for the game was high three weeks before this release, a record 1.5 million copies had already been pre-ordered. The first official release of Halo 2 was in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States on November 9, 2004. As of November 9, 2005, Halo has sold over five million copies worldwide. By July 14, 2003, the game had sold three million copies worldwide, and by January 28, 2004, it had reached four million copies. Halo's retail price remained at US$49.99 until November 30, 2003. During the two months following Halo's release, the game sold alongside more than fifty percent of Xbox consoles. On its release Halo: Combat Evolved broke sales records by April 8, 2002, one million units had been sold: this pace was faster than that of any previous sixth-generation console game.