Traffic to “Halo” domain names like HaloReach.com taking off, despite Microsoft/Bungie not owning it

Halo: Reach, which launched earlier this month “generated more revenue in a single day than any game or movie so far in 2010 in the U.S.” according to CNET News.  That’s been big news for Microsoft, dominating the headlines for weeks, but what hasn’t been news is the web address the company uses for its newest game title, which naturally many people will type into their browser.

Prospective buyers and players going online to find out more about the game, should start their quest with a search engine like Google or Yahoo!, just to make sure they land on the official Halo: Reach page which is located on Bungie.net.

Microsoft/Bungie don’t own all the Halo game title domains

The domain name HaloReach.com isn’t registered to Bungie, the developers of Halo. 

According to registrant records, the domain name is registered to VeriSign, Inc, and last month alone had nearly 20,000 unique visitors according to Compete despite not being developed.

While it’s possible the domain name is being managed somehow for Microsoft, chances are unlikely.  Though Microsoft owns names like Halo2.com and Halo3.com, the company doesn’t own Halo.com or another popular title in the series: HaloCombatEvolved.com. 

The URL haloreach.com currently resolves to a Melbourne IT page with the following language:

This Internet address is being managed by Melbourne IT DBS for one of the world’s top brands. At the present time there is no active Web Site for the address. It may be under construction, or the owner may have reserved the address for future needs.

Enterprises of all sizes rely on Melbourne IT DBS to provide the services and tools needed to manage and protect their online digital assets.