Bungie has made good on its promise to deliver some new Halo 3 information this week and today, on the day of Xbox's and Halo's 5th birthday, the developer has made a couple of new announcements. We now have included a brand new Halo 3 image released by Microsoft today, visit the screens tab above to view it in its full glory.
The most significant of these announcements has to do with the The Xbox Live multiplayer public beta, a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of Halo 3, scheduled for availability in spring 2007 on the Xbox 360.
In addition, Microsoft and Bungie confirmed today that consumers will be able to experience the Halo universe this holiday season through a one-time airing of a 60-second Halo 3 teaser ad. The add will be fully CGI and has been created by an external studio under Bungie's supervision and wuill not be meant to replicate gameplay visuals but rather as a showcase of what the Halo Universe looks like under photorealistic conditions. Shortly after the commercial airs, Bungie will be treating fans to the next installment in its making of documentary series on Xbox Live Marketplace. This next VIDOC is going to give some new insights into elements of the campaign and will peel back the curtain on a certain prominent character in Halo 3.
And finally it was announced that the new, premium downloadable content for Halo 2, exclusive to Xbox 360, is scheduled for release in spring 2007.
Unveiled earlier this year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, "Halo 3" represents the third chapter in the "Halo" trilogy, an international award-winning action series that grew into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.7 million units worldwide, which equals nearly $700 million in sales, and logging in excess of 800 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox Live.
On Dec. 4, the special 60-second Halo 3 advertising spot will be broadcast, one time only, on ESPN's Monday Night Football. The ad, created by advertising agency McCann Erickson, will provide viewers with a unique and compelling look at Master Chief and the world of Halo 3. The television spot will also be available for download exclusively for Xbox 360 users via Xbox Live Marketplace.
In addition, gamers who have jumped in to Xbox 360 will be able to join legions of Xbox fans next spring in all-new multiplayer maps for Halo 2 available for download through Xbox Live Marketplace. The exclusive Halo 2 content will bring new experiences and excitement to the seminal sequel that made entertainment retail history in its first 24 hours - with USD 125 million in sales - and that boasts more than four billion online matches since its release in November 2004.
According to Microsoft and Bungie, in this third chapter of the Halo trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.
