Halo 3 in September

By Oli Welsh Published 16 May, 2007

Multiplayer beta today.

Microsoft and Bungie have anounced that Halo 3 will be released in North America on 25th September, with the European release a day later on the 26th.

News of the release comes on the day that Microsoft launches the beta testing of Halo 3 over Xbox Live, allowing gamers to play through multiplayer maps for the hotly anticipated shooter.

Microsoft has just confirmed that the beta will go live today at 1pm, UK time. We'll be sat there refreshing Crackdown's menus at 12.59, same as you.

The beta will end at 7.59am on 7th June.

"Halo 3 is much more than a videogame release: it's the biggest entertainment event of the year," commented Peter Moore, corporate VP of Microsoft's game business.

"On September 25 we intend to deliver a finale that will go down in entertainment history and leave people around the world with an experience that will be shared and enjoyed for years to come."

Microsoft has also announced the release of a limited edition Zune digital media player to go on sale next month, featuring Halo 3 videos, soundtracks, trailers and artwork.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (60) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Totoriko #1 5 years ago

    Was hoping it would be available this morning. Doh
    Edited by Totoriko at 16/05/07 @ 10:06

  • Zomoniac #2 5 years ago

    As a shameless graphical whore, as much as I'm painfully excited and squirting at the prospect of playing Halo 3 SP as early as September, I wish they would have held it off to the November that everyone was expecting and turning it from the Halo 2 HD it appears to be now to the GeOW killer people were/are expecting.

  • The-Bodybuilder #3 5 years ago

    "Halo 3 is much more than a videogame release: it's the biggest entertainment event of the year,"

    And people wonder how games get over-hyped.

    Sheeeeesh.

  • Negotiator #4 5 years ago

    The biggest game ever, oh yeah, the best game ever, oh yeah, the, oh forget it.

  • The-Bodybuilder #5 5 years ago

    @Zomoniac

    2 extra months is not gonna automatically turn it into a graphical beast.
    It'a a Halo 2 HD gfx because they decided to use the h2 gfx engine.

    Although, I don't understand WHY they decided to use the H2 gfx engine. Anyone know why?

  • souljacker2000 #6 5 years ago

    If this turns out to be a halo 2 remake, im gona b cracking some heads.

    -(picks up brick)

  • Steroyd #7 5 years ago

    Yeah what the hell happened to a November release.

    It'll probably get delayed to November.

  • Negotiator #8 5 years ago

    Sept 26th the day the world will change forever, food won't taste so good, sex won't feel so good, only Halo will do, oh yes only Halo.

  • Moz #9 5 years ago

    Is Halo really such a big brand that they think they can sell Zune players off the back of it??

    /EDIT on another note do you need to have the Crackdown disk in the console to plat the beta or just to download it?
    Edited by Moz at 16/05/07 @ 10:17

  • Cloudane #10 5 years ago

    LOL at Negotiator.

    I just hope that the new Xbox 360's will be available by then so I don't have to play the three red lights of doom as often.

  • Negotiator #11 5 years ago

    One man, one game, one face busting game, Halo 3.

  • MBar #12 5 years ago

    I love that people are bitching that, for once, a developer brings forward a release date rather than delaying it again and again.

    But yeah, it'll be delayed anyway. ;)

    PS: Whining about the graphics in something which is both a beta and multiplayer is doubly redundant.

  • spookyzombie #13 5 years ago

    I don't see how Halo 3 can win. Sooo much hype can only lead to disappointment. Just like when I was 14 and got a date with the rumoured 'class bike'. It'll end it frustration I can tell you.

  • LetsGo #14 5 years ago

    "Halo 3 is much more than a videogame release: it's the biggest entertainment event of the year"

    I think your find thats GTA4.... Glad to see you know so much about the games industry....

  • Nova5lag #15 5 years ago

    Meh... no zombies
    Edited by Nova5lag at 16/05/07 @ 10:23

  • Negotiator #16 5 years ago

    Only joking, good release date though.

  • kincaide #17 5 years ago

    7th of June : Crackdown Trade-In Day

  • Talha #18 5 years ago

    Well all web reports indicate that it is not graphically overwhelming. Call me whatever, can Halo afford NOT to be a graphics powerhouse?

    Because to survive this kind of hype, Halo will need much more than brilliant gameplay. It will need a hook that can force the uncoverted to rush out and buy a 360.

    Also, I think all this hype is a disservice to the likes of GeOW and GRAW - whose devs have spared no effort in making their respective games a showcase for the 360. MS better watch out before getting too over-enthusiastic.

  • udat #19 5 years ago

    "Share and Enjoy" is the motto of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, of Marvin building fame.

  • Moz #20 5 years ago

    "PS: Whining about the graphics in something which is both a beta and multiplayer is doubly redundant. "

    It's a rather near the end of development beta, would be rather stupid of them to let people play something that isn't even close to the finished product.

    But then anyone expecting it look as good as Gears is fooling themselfs, gears works in enclosed areas with a small number of monsters on screen where as Halo uses bigger more open spaces especially in mulitplayer.

    People just want it look like Gears so that it looks better then Kill Zone 2 and - Resistence 2.

  • trevd72 #21 5 years ago

    i am really excited for this in MP we will see how the campaign turns out. but i can see this being milked by M$ with download content. hopefully they will do as before and offer them free after a few months.

    £40 online is a bit steep though, anywhere got it closer to £30 cos otherwise i will have to sit out the launch on principle.

  • Hughes. #22 5 years ago

    heh

    Only 18 months late. Good job it looks so stunning!!

    ....oh

  • bonker #23 5 years ago

    "Halo 3 is much more than a videogame release: it's the biggest entertainment event of the year,"

    Fuck me, this guy is working on the wrong side of the fence isn't he? No doubt it has 4d graphics and giant crabs too etc.

    Well meh me over. You're right about the hype, anything less than 9/10 levels of performance in every department for this quad-A title will be seen as not meeting expectations. I'm sensing am overall 7 or 8 already but i'll check it out later tonite ...

    Oh and surprising it's being released 'early' in September. MS must be pretty confident of their Xmas line-up and/or concerned at the recent 360 sales slowdown ...
    Edited by bonker at 16/05/07 @ 10:37

  • HarryB #24 5 years ago

    haha my mate is comin over from glasgow tonight, he is gonna blow his load when he walks into my house and I'm playing Halo 3 :) or maybe I mean :( ... I don't want him to do that.

  • login_name #25 5 years ago

    I wish Peter Moore would just shut up. Out of all these idiot spokesmen he is by far the worse when it comes to spouting pure shite. Zen of gaming? Beyond reality? The biggest entertainment event this year?

    Then again, he is better than most stand ups at bringing a smile to my face and a tear in my eye.

  • HarryB #26 5 years ago

    oh and it seems halo 3 went down the route of forza 2... look solid and nice but also smooth. meaning not drop dead gorgeous but hopefully not a stutter-fest.

  • reality_cheque #27 5 years ago

    Moz: From what I've read, you launch it from within the crackdown menus - otherwise once it was downloaded, you could just lend Crackdown to a mate and they don't want that :)

  • onyxbox #28 5 years ago

    I'm surprised at the amount of people who care about the graphics. Halo 2 multiplayer is *all* about gameplay, graphics come second IMO... I mean... look at Counter Strike... it looks like arse compared to most games but it's still a cracking MP game and within seconds of playing the game you're not paying attention to the graphics you're looking at people and 'real' behaviour, situations and tactics not bump mapping and lighting.

    If it plays as well as Halo 2 and there are some new things to do in it then I'll be happy.


  • Les #29 5 years ago

    "On September 25 we intend to deliver a finale that will go down in entertainment history and leave people around the world with an experience that will be shared and enjoyed for years to come."

    He's probably referring to the Vista version that will be released in 2013...

    I expect it to be big but not as big as GTA IV and Super Mario Galaxy (as by the end of the year there'll be more Wii's out there than 360's and there's still nothing decent to play on it besides GC ports).
    Edited by Les at 16/05/07 @ 12:22

  • Les #30 5 years ago

    "limited edition Zune digital media player"

    Which'll probably mean there's a many of them as of the regular Zune...

  • Darren #31 5 years ago

    @Onyxbox - That's a fair point but when Halo 2 was released I'm pretty sure it was considered to be a bit of a looker. Good graphics don't make a good game but they certainly do enhance the experience. I think the graphics from the single player E3 2006 trailer raised people's expectations of what Halo 3's multiplayer would look like and, to me, from the dozens of HD videos I've watched, it looks just like Halo 2 running on the 360 with better textures. I think that's more a testament to how fantastic the Xbox game looked though personally... sure it had aliasing, LOD issues and texture pop up but it was otherwise stunning and really made full use of the Xbox's hardware.

  • Euronymous #32 5 years ago

    Half day at college then. :)

  • SBfistfun #33 5 years ago

    "Halo 3 is much more than a videogame release: it's the biggest entertainment event of the year,"

    Shut the fuck up you nonce

  • Saltefanden #34 5 years ago

    Downloading the Beta right now as we're speaking XD

  • The-Bodybuilder #35 5 years ago

    >"PS: Whining about the graphics in something which is both a beta and multiplayer is doubly redundant. "

    Considering MS's Beta stage says that the graphics are pretty much set, whinning about it isn't as redundant.

  • The-Bodybuilder #36 5 years ago

    >"Oh and surprising it's being released 'early' in September. MS must be pretty confident of their Xmas line-up and/or concerned at the recent 360 sales slowdown ..."

    I'm guessing thier's going to be a big push for Too Human as thier christmas title.

  • The-Bodybuilder #37 5 years ago

    >" Super Mario Sunshine "

    Sunshine? :/

  • Les #38 5 years ago

    "You mean Mario galaxy"

    Indeed. Will correct.

    "this will be bigger than MARIO GALAXY in USA at least "

    Might be, as Americans just love to shoot things. And maybe the 360 will still have a short lead over Wii by then in the States. At least we'll finally get some decent statistics on how many 360's are out there, because there won't be any 360 owner that will not get this game.
    Edited by Les at 16/05/07 @ 12:28

  • bonker #39 5 years ago

    "I'm guessing thier's going to be a big push for Too Human as thier christmas title. "

    2007? ;)

  • Negotiator #40 5 years ago

    Anybody who thinks this will be out sold by any game this year is a moron, Halo 2 sold more than 5 million in the US alone and this game will be bigger than that, trust me.

  • absolutezero #41 5 years ago

    YAY, finally Ill be able to play Live games minus the retards!

  • Zomoniac #42 5 years ago

    Anybody who thinks this will be out sold by any game this year is a moron, Halo 2 sold more than 5 million in the US alone and this game will be bigger than that, trust me.

    So? San Andreas sold a lot more than Halo 2 and GTA IV will sell a lot more than San Andreas...

  • moggsy #43 5 years ago

    Graphics ain't (and never were) the be all and end all. AI has always been Halo's particular strong point so lets hope the single player experience has upped the ante in this particular respect.

    It's great that MS have a nearly simultaneous release on their top titles. It's something that we take for granted but which Nintendo in particular don't seem to be able to manage.
    Edited by moggsy at 16/05/07 @ 13:01

  • The-Bodybuilder #44 5 years ago

    >"2007? ;) "

    LOL.
    Nah, I'm pretty confident that it'll hit this year now. They're almost done.
    2007 is for alan wake and fable 2.

  • NHDave #45 5 years ago

    "Halo 3 is much more than a videogame release: it's the biggest entertainment event of the year,"

    Actually it's the biggest entertainment event of the century,"

  • EmiliasHorse #46 5 years ago

    But where is it? 1306 and still waiting

    Oh Bumhole! I have to go back to work..Was hoping to D/L this while I was working, oh well.
    Edited by EmiliasHorse at 16/05/07 @ 13:09

  • JonesW #47 5 years ago

    Where is it :(

  • brooza #48 5 years ago

    Half day at college then

    Sod that, 3 days off work!

  • MBar #49 5 years ago

    Considering MS's Beta stage says that the graphics are pretty much set, whinning about it isn't as redundant.

    "pretty much".

    As in, "not final".

    Redundant as a score on a preview.

  • the_dudefather #50 5 years ago

    even Major Nelson's page is getting hammered :p

  • kangarootoo #51 5 years ago

    @Talha

    "It will need a hook that can force the uncoverted to rush out and buy a 360."

    I'm not sure of the figures offhand, but I'm pretty sure that the current installed base is enough to make Halo 3 a hit if all current owners buy a copy.

    That said, MS will be hoping this shifts additional consoles as a decline in growth of the installed is an issue for them (as discussed on other threads).

  • The-Bodybuilder #52 5 years ago

    >"Redundant as a score on a preview. "

    The only thing left in the mp is optimisation (and all the other stuff like the video stuff).
    The graphics ARE done. No new textures, no new effect, same lighting, physics, e.t.c.
    In effect, the pics you see are representative of the final mp (and likely sp, seeing as they both use the same engine, and were both at the same graphical level during the alpha) when it is released.

    So yeah, people do have a right to question why.

  • Brogan #53 5 years ago

    Who didn't set there alarm. i was on nights last night, only had 3 hours sleep. Is no-one at Bungie/MS thinking about me. shellfish

  • Kurai #54 5 years ago


    From Bungies website:

    Folks are reporting problems downloading the Halo 3 Beta via Crackdown this morning. We have alerted the appropriate Live authorities and they are taking care of the problem as we speak. More news as it comes in. With any luck this will be a short delay. People enetering the Beta through other methods - Friends and Family, Rule of Three and so on, are unaffected.

  • Feanor #55 5 years ago

    "So? San Andreas sold a lot more than Halo 2 and GTA IV will sell a lot more than San Andreas..."

    I don't think so. San Andreas was released on a console with a user base of 100 million +. GTA IV will be released on two consoles with a combined user base of less than 20 million.

  • absolutezero #56 5 years ago

    Go read the Bungie forums, its a riot.

    Toys, pram etc.

    Kiddies DEMAND Halo!!

  • cellar_door #57 5 years ago

    Not a praying man but please god make it the sequel that meets my expectations.

    Halo 2 did BTW.

  • Darren #58 5 years ago

    @Crofto - Now that Halo 3 has been announced two months ahead of its expected November 2007 release date, I cannot imagine for one second that the game will be rushed. It's sounds to me very much like the single player campaign is near finished, ahead of schedule, and that Bungie are just beta testing the multiplayer so that it'll be a better game out of the box come late September. Microsoft know that this is a key release for the Xbox 360 and that everyone has high expectations for it so there's no way they would rush it out unfinished... or, if they do, then they're stupid, very, very stupid...

  • onyx_elite #59 5 years ago

    Is anyone else sitting in front of Crackdown in frustration? For something so hyped and with talk of specially adapted servers to deal with increased traffic, this is a big disappointment.

  • Climhazzard #60 5 years ago

    man i cant believe this isnt up yet unless im the only one who cant download it, how the hell have they pulled this one off???????