Published: 03/08/2005 Written by: Alex Muniz Xbox?s successor is at least eight months away, but when you?re Microsoft, or Halo developer Bungie, it?s never too early to start laying the groundwork for Halo 3. A March 7, 2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer article quoted J. Allard, the head of Microsoft?s Xbox game unit, as declaring that the number of staff working on Halo 3 is roughly double the 65 who developed Halo 2. With Halo 2?s murky ending, and five million units sold in the U.S., it?s no surprise that Bungie?s deep into work on a sequel. Allard?s comments nevertheless come as a surprise, arguably representing Microsoft?s first official comment on the game?s existence. FileFront contacted Microsoft for further information on Halo 3, but was met with a firm ?no comment.? While Halo 3?s play mechanics and story should remain shrouded in secrecy throughout 2005, the Internet is already home to rampant rumors regarding Microsoft and Bungie?s marketing strategy for the game. Last week, IGN.com reported that according to high-level, unidentified Microsoft sources, Halo 3 will launch on the exact same day as PS3 in 2006. This ?counter programming? is similar to Sony?s 2001 strategy, wherein the PS2 welcomed mega-sellers like Grand Theft Auto III and Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater 3 into its library just as Microsoft?s home console launched. The article continues below.. And Halo 3 isn?t the only new Halo purportedly on tap. Rumors hit TeamXbox.com in late-December 2004 that Bungie is developing Halo 2.5. According to TeamXbox.com, Halo 2.5 will include enhanced, HDTV-ready graphics, additional levels, and will come loaded onto Xbox 2?s hard drive as the main attraction for the system?s Fall 2005 launch. ?All the stuff that people expected from Halo 2 but didn?t make the cut will be there,? says TeamXbox.com?s unnamed source. Halo 2.5 rumors haven?t expanded much beyond what was first reported at the end of 2004, however, making Allard?s official comments on Halo 3 that much more important for the franchise?s news-starved fans. And to think: All this rumor, speculation, and innuendo, and we?re still two full months away from E3.
