Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Halo 4 rumours a joke

Bungie treads on speculation.

Bloggers got weak at the knees with excitement yesterday as an eBay auction with official ties seemed to point towards the existence of Halo 4, but Bungie has squashed these rumours, saying it's nothing but a "sad clunker of a gag".

The auction invited bidders to fight over a cameo voice role in Halo 3, but it was another detail that caught most eyes. "Voiceover will be recorded at Blindlight Studios in Hollywood, CA before May 15, 2007 or this package will have to redeemed for Halo 4," the description read. "ZOMG," said a nearby Internet.

Until Bungie stepped in: "The cameo is for Halo 3, and the timeframe is tight, although the 'wit' who wrote the eBay copy originally joked that if you don't make the session in time, you'd have to end up in Halo 4. Note that was not an announcement, but rather a sad clunker of a gag."

The money raised from a winning bid would have gone toward helping homeless people through the arts (as in, by teaching them, rather than by sending them on some sort of Van Gogh assault course).

We said "would have", since no bugger could stump up the US$ 1,000 minimum bid. Presumably because everyone who plays Halo is an evil, black-hearted bastard who wishes to see the homeless perish on the streets rather than perform light opera.