One of the fastest selling games in 2006, Gears of War sold over 2 million copies of Gears of War for the Xbox 360.

A video game champion has been crowned as today “Gears of War” made history by becoming the fastest-selling next-gen game of 2006 and the fastest-selling exclusive Xbox game of all time.

Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games Inc. today confirmed that “Gears of War,” the Xbox 360-exclusive title, has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide since its release six weeks ago.

“‘Gears of War’ clearly has won the battle for the title of the must-have game of the year,” said Richard Teversham, Director of Platform & Marketing, Home and Entertainment Division EMEA. “Its phenomenal success is one of many reasons why Xbox 360 is the ultimate place to get together with friends to play this Christmas.”

“We’ve always held high hopes for ‘Gears of War,’ but we never expected such an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and gamers all over the world,” said Michael Capps, president, Epic Games. “I can’t describe how stoked our team is right now. Our fans can absolutely count on Epic to keep delivering new gameplay through Xbox Live.”

In addition to being the must-have video game of the holiday season, “Gears of War” continues to rage on the Xbox Live battlefield as well, with more than 1 million unique gamers engaging in 10 million online gameplay sessions and unlocking an impressive 7 million achievements. On top of being the No. 1 title on Xbox Live, “Gears of War” has driven new members to the network; paid registrations per day have skyrocketed more than 50 percent since the game’s launch.