GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Halo: Reach golden

Bungie wraps development on its final installment in acclaimed Xbox 360-exclusive sci-fi shooter franchise; "majority" of team has moved on to Activision project.

264 Comments

With nearly a month and a half left before launch, Bungie has completed its final installment in the Halo franchise. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Bungie executive producer Joseph Tung confirmed that Halo: Reach has gone gold in advance of its September 14 launch date for the Xbox 360.

For Bungie, the fight is finished.
For Bungie, the fight is finished.

"We went gold last night, so yeah, it's pretty much in the can," Tung said. "It's bittersweet for me personally. Everyone at Bungie loves the universe. We created the universe, have been working in it for 10 years. But I think everyone is really excited about what we are working on next."

As for what's next, Bungie is currently locked into a 10-year exclusivity deal with Activision Blizzard. As part of Activision Blizzard's postearnings conference call today, the publisher's chief operating officer, Thomas Tippl, confirmed that "the majority of the Bungie team is now focused on crafting their new universe." Though details on the all-new property are mostly nonexistent, Activision has confirmed that the game from the former Microsoft subsidiary will arrive on all major platforms, including the PlayStation 3.

Halo: Reach is set before the 2001 Xbox classic Halo: Combat Evolved, the first game in the series, and tells the story of the defense of Reach by a Spartan squad. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of the game.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 264 comments about this story