343 Industries says no new Halo in 2011

343 Industries development director Frank O’Connor spoke to some of the many rumors regarding the future of Halo franchise.  Speaking with Official Xbox Magazine UK, O’Connor said that the studio “has nothing to announce right now,” but he did leave behind some clues, mostly to deny many popular rumors about their first Halo project.

Halo: Reach Dated

Sad that the “Halo: Reach” beta is over?  Well, Bungie doesn’t plan to keep you hanging for too long.  According to the Associated Press, Halo: Reach will be in stores on September 14th.  Bungie and Microsoft had already said publicly that the game would be released in September – the announcement simply adds the day.

Then again, any news about “Reach” is big news, after the massive success of the beta.  2.7 million people played the “Reach” beta over the course of 18 days, racking up around 16 million collective hours of playtime and over a billion kills.  If those statistics serve as an indicator, “Reach” has a chance to be crowned “most successful Halo game.”  Not an insignificant title, to be sure.  ”Halo 3″, the current high-flier, sold around 5 million copies in the first week.

Happy Halo: Reach Beta Day!

If you own an Xbox 360, but haven’t started playing the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta, then either you’re a very busy person or a very stupid person.  WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!

Go stab guys in the back!

Use a Jet-Pack!

Get Killed!

Ok, so maybe you avoid that last one.  Anyways, if you’re interested, but don’t have a beta code,  you can still get one by buying a copy of “Halo: ODST.”  The Halo: Reach beta starts today and ends on May 19th.  The full game will be released some time next fall.

Halo: Reach Beta Screens

So the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta opened up to a limited number of users yesterday.  For all of you out there drooling at the prospect of playing the game even a second earlier, here are some really nice screenshots.  The wide-scale beta opens on May 3rd.  The full game, however, won’t drop until some time in September.

Live Action Halo: Reach Ad – “Birth of a Spartan”

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It seems like the best things to come from “Halo: ODST” were those live-action ads Microsoft made.  Well, they’re continuing the trend for Halo: Reach.  Titled “Birth of a Spartan”, the trailer shows how a Spartan III is made.  Halo: Reach drops September 1st, but for everybody who bought ODST,  the “Reach” multiplayer beta opens on May 3rd.

UPDATE:  Here’s the extended version of the trailer.  Frankly speaking, the longer version doesn’t add anything particularly interesting – the same event transpires, but with extra camera work.  That said, feel free to check them both out and see for yourself.

Microsoft Offers Old-School Halo Players Invitations to Reach Beta

Microsoft is shutting down the servers supporting all original Xbox games on April 15′th.  While this won’t affect all that many people, there is a small contingency of players who still regularly play Halo 2 online.  Microsoft, hoping to ease their transition and massage their potential outrage, will be giving those players a free 3-month gold membership on Xbox Live, 400 Microsoft Points and invitations to the Halo: Reach beta, which begins less than a month later on May 3′rd.  Getting access to the beta is as simple as buying a copy of Halo: ODST, but the idea here is that these guys have no interest in the game, I suppose.

Halo: Reach Multiplayer Video

This trailer for Halo: Reach shows a lot of new features, from the previously rumored assassination abilities to new things like jet-packs and “headhunter” mode.  The multiplayer beta starts May 3′rd; if you haven’t picked up a copy of Halo: ODST, I’d consider running out right now.