Halo 3 could hit $170 million

US news agency Bloomberg

reports

that Microsoft’s stock has seen a massive lift ahead of this week’s release of hugely anticipated Xbox 360 FPS Halo 3, and predicts that the game could net Microsoft as much as $170 million in its first financial quarter, which ends this month.

Goldman Sachs analyst Sarah Friar also added that Microsoft could ship as many as 4.2 million copies of Halo 3 into retail by the end of the month.

If the prediction is correct, it could see Microsoft’s gaming division escape the red for the first time since the launch of the original Xbox.