Halo: Reach To Launch September 14

Virtually a shoe-in for one of this year's biggest sellers, Bungie's Halo: Reach has received its release date: September 14, 2010. At the same time, the company announced it's seen 2.7 million users participate in Reach's multiplayer Xbox Live beta -- a number it says makes it the biggest console beta test on record. Reach beta users have played more than 13 million games and put in almost 16 million hours collectively online, says Bungie. Still, the turnout was a little less than expected; Bungie's Brian Jarrard told the Seattle Times the team expected "upwards of 3 million" users in the beta. Bungie has had high aims for Reach, and has promised marketing on a grander scale than past titles in the franchise's history. Microsoft is banking on the launch, too -- the exclusive property has been directly correlated with the Xbox brand since it originated. "Just as Halo: Combat Evolved catalyzed the success of the original Xbox to define a decade of entertainment, Halo: Reach will push the boundaries for what’s possible in video games and help make 2010 the biggest year in Xbox history," enthused Microsoft Game Studios corporate VP Phil Spencer.