E3 Announcement Shelved, For Now

As upset and frustrated as we know folks are, we hope it's at least a small comfort that our fans know we share their disappointment. A metric ton of man hours went into getting something ready to show and it's disappointing to not be able to share it. But, the upside is that it's all stuff you'll still see further down the road.

As much as fans wanted to believe otherwise, this is in fact, the truth and not a cruel hoax or prank. E3 is winding down and there are no plans to make a surprise announcement later this week.

Top Questions we've received on this matter:

1. OMG! The announce was posted at 7! This is all part of the plan.

The news was broken to us shortly before 7 p.m. and we decided to keep with tradition to make a clean break.

2. Why leave the splash page up if it's not happening?

We left the splash page up for the folks who didn't see the message or were planning on tuning in the following morning before the news vanished into Bungie.net's ether.

3. But Harold Ryan is only a TESTER this has to be fake!

Harold was a tester, but assumed the position of President a while ago. Crazy Wiki's and their misinformation.

A couple of far lower priority side effects of us not making our announcement are that the Podcast we recorded and the E3: Livin' the Dream mockumentary Sketch and I were filming have hit some snags. The Podcast will be filed away in the "archives" and will be anachronistically released at a later date. The video experience, E3: Livin' the Dream, cannot be salvaged at this time.

via bungie

Halo 3 To Quickly Push $200m In Sales

Posted by Xbox Family:

Following a meeting with Microsoft Xbox execs, Lazard analyst Colin Sebastian has estimated Halo 3 sales could quickly reach $200 million in "one of the largest and most successful product launches in digital entertainment."

Sebastian says the launch prediction is "based on our conversations with Xbox management as well as our own industry checks," with "significant preorders and broad consumer anticipation" of the Xbox 360 title.

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Best Buy’s Golden Gift to Halo Players

Frankie just posted this on Xbox Family

We get a lot of stick for how big Halo has become, with T-shirts, sodas, action figures and so on, but sometimes our promotional partners give you something to really sink your teeth into. Such is the case with our friends at Best Buy. And this one is BIG.

During the launch period of Halo 3, the 25th, 26th and 27th of September, Best Buy will be sponsoring the Xbox Live Gold service and making it free for everyone. Think of it as Halo Free Gold Days. That means that even if you only have Xbox Live Silver, or you picked up a 360 just for Halo 3, that you’ll be able to try almost all of the features

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Linkin Park plays Halo 3

A concert put together and founded by the main headliners Linkin Park. LP has been during their thing for years, bringing great music groups together on one tour for an all around kick-ass show. So if a few a members of the band want to get in on the Halo 3 action, whose going to stop them? Sitting down to play some multiplayer with everyone were band members Chester, Phoenix, and Mr. Hahn. And you thought you were jealous before! Being big fans of the game, the LP guys were just as excited to play as the lucky gamers. With My Chemical Romance playing in the background, gamers got to show off their Halo skills to the three LP guys, and they got to show their fans that they’re not too shabby either.

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More Forge Details

Wanna know more about The Forge, Halo 3’s map “editor” (none existing geometry can be altered, so it is more of a Halo 3 customization tool). Here you go. Since damage, gravity, speed, power-up effects and almost anything else can be altered, the game can pretty much turn into any type of shooter imaginable. Add to this Forge is a live editing tool, meaning all alterations can be made while up to eight players are going at it. While there are some restrictions (i.e. you cannot eliminate a vehicle while someone is driving it), it opens the door for many fun game types that involve two “map masters” quickly stockpiling their teams for never-before-seen types of mayhem. Lots of craziness will be had, especially during the initial weeks after release when people look to be crazy. Until the dust settles and competitive game types are established, every Halo player and their sister will have their own “Forged” settings they think are the best. Expect a lot of debate – in the form of actual maps and game types to try – from Halo 3 than any other title in the past.


Full Story at Xbox Family.com