"Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon, " said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, in a statement.

BBC: NEWS | Technology | Halo 3 sales top ?84m in 24 hours

Trion Worlds recently hired Dave Luehmann, who previously was general manager of Microsoft Game Studios working on the Xbox, as its vice president for 3rd party development.

FORBES: Trion Worlds Takes Up Free-To-Play Gaming Model

The 3-D phenomenon is important to Sony's television and media businesses, as evidenced by what was shown at the company's CES booth, and as Microsoft Game Studios vice president Phil Spencer suggested in an interview last year.

CNN: Motion, 3-D gaming right at home at CES

An unhappy Jobs called Microsoft Chief Steve Ballmer after the software company, and Apple rival, snapped up Bungie Studios in June of 2000, Ed Fries, former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft said in an interview with Develop, a videogame trade magazine .

FORBES: Steve Jobs 'Needed Placating' After Halo Swiped From The Mac