Like an MVP rushing for 1900 yards, Xbox Live, the first and only unified online games and entertainment network, celebrates record heights surpassing 50 million downloads from Xbox Live Marketplace, doubling the 25 million mark hit just three months ago. Gamers are swarming to Xbox Live at a breakneck pace - logging more than 2 billion hours online - to experience online multiplayer gaming, addictive Xbox Live Arcade titles, the latest game demos, movie trailers, and music videos.

Xbox 360 gamers are flocking to Xbox Live in record numbers following the release of “Madden NFL 07” on August 22nd from Electronic Arts. Within the first week of release, gamers unlocked more than 600,000 achievements and Xbox Live hosted more than 2 million hours of game play. This is equivalent to 228 years of online gaming in the first seven days alone.

“Texas Hold ‘em” set a day one record as the fastest downloaded item ever on the Xbox Live Marketplace, with over 100 downloads per minute in the first 24 hours of the title’s release. For the first time ever, Microsoft offered a free full-version Xbox Live Arcade game to all Xbox Live members during the first 48 hours following launch. The title is the first poker game on Xbox Live Arcade and includes high-definition graphics, persistent bankroll, achievements and online multiplayer.

Top Xbox Live Statistics

• More than 50 million downloads of gaming and entertainment content from Xbox Live Marketplace to date
• Over 2 billion hours spent on Xbox Live by gamers across the globe since the launch of the Xbox Live online gaming network in November 2002
• More than 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners are connected to Xbox Live
• 1,300,000 text and voice messages are sent via Xbox Live every day. Currently totaling half a billion sent messages between the Xbox Live community per year, this figure is set to explode with the launch of the Xbox Live Vision camera on September 19, 2006 in the U.S.
• 65 per cent of all connected consoles already downloading and playing Xbox Live Arcade titles
• Over 8 million downloads of Xbox Live Arcade games following the launch of Xbox 360
• Over 2 billion Microsoft Points sold to date

Click here for more information about Xbox Live or to become a member.