Halo 3 Public Beta And New Halo 2 Maps In Spring 2007 // UPDATE

They said they would reveal something cool for the fifth anniversary of the original Halo, and they did. According to today's announcement, Bungie plans to kick off a Halo 3 public beta early next year, along with a bunch of new Halo 2 maps. In the meantime, they are teasing us with a new Halo 3 screenshot, and they will also have a Halo 3 commercial on TV, coming this December 4. But first things first: the Halo 3 multiplayer beta.

"Via the Xbox Live multiplayer public beta, a first of its kind for the Halo franchise, gamers will be able to play online via Microsoft's premier online entertainment network and participate in a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of Halo 3. This beta also represents an opportunity for gamers worldwide to participate in the development of Halo 3. Through the resulting feedback, Bungie Studios will be able to further refine and hone the end result of Halo 3."

If all goes well, the beta should start in Spring 2007. Also around that time, Bungie will release a new set of Halo 2 multiplayer maps via the Xbox Live Marketplace. They will not be free, however, and you will need a hard drive to download them on Xbox 360. Yes, that last part kind of sucks, and the devs admit it as well (though they cleverly pass the blame on to Microsoft).

As for the Halo 3 TV commercial, it's set to air during Monday Night Football on December 4 and it will run for a full minute. A minute full of gameplay footage? Nope, sorry, a minute full of CGI cinematics - done by some third-party agency called Digital Domain. And after the commercial airs on television, it will also be available on Xbox Live Marketplace, "in full 720p glory", followed by the next installment in Bungie's "making of" documentary series. But we'll get to talk about that in a few more weeks.

UPDATE: Even more Halo 3 screenshots are now available on 1UP. [16.11.2006, 14:25]

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)