The Halo Beta program is going to kick into full swing pretty soon, and it’s a complicated beast. The “Rule of 3” program you may have heard of starts this Thursday at 12am, so we want you to be prepared.



The most complicated part is the international aspect – basically, you’ll have to check with your local Xbox.com site and local media. The US, however, is covered in the information that follows below. Remember, this stuff is being handled by Porsche-driving muckety mucks from Microsoft – and not Bungie directly. So send all your complaints and questions to them, and not to us – we’re just the bearers of the glad tidings.

And remember, after all the dust has settled, Bungie will have a few extra beta spots for a few lucky and loyal community members. So one way or another, you should be able to find a way to participate in the Halo 3 Beta, fingers crossed and good luck!

The Xbox Live multiplayer public beta, which is a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of Halo 3, is scheduled for availability in spring 2007 exclusively on Xbox 360. This beta also represents an opportunity for gamers to give information that will help in the development of Halo 3. Through the resulting feedback, Bungie Studios will be able to further refine and hone the end result of the game.

Phase one registration is now closed. If you have been selected to participate, congratulations and stay tuned for an email notification on the week of January 22-26, 2007.

For those of you that didn't make it in - fret not as this phase one was just the first of three ways to secure an invite to participate in the development of Halo 3. The next two paths of entry are the following:
- Qualifying over Xbox Live via the "Rule of Three" program in early February
- Purchasing marked packages of the upcoming game Crackdown™, which hits store shelves in the U.S. on Feb. 20

Details of both of these programs are provided below.

Rule of Three Program
The "Rule of Three" program is currently planned for gamers (17 years and older) in the 50 United States (includes District of Columbia) and Canada who have access to an Xbox 360 Pro console or an Xbox 360 Core console with hard drive, a valid Xbox Live Gold subscription and the Halo 2 game.

It is a two-step process:
1. Participate in at least three hours of Halo 2 multiplayer sessions on your Xbox 360 console via Xbox Live during the three (3) day period beginning February 1st at 12:01 am EST and ending February 3rd at 11:59 pm EST.
2. After the three day window is over, head back over to www.halo3.com on February 5th and register.

If you are one of the FIRST 13,333 to do this (and meet the above requirements) you will receive an invite notification in February to participate in the Halo 3 Beta.

Please note that if you registered to participate in the Halo 3 Beta during Phase One and were not selected, that does not preclude you from registering again for during Phase 2.

Crackdown
When Crackdown hits store shelves (Feb 20 - North America, Feb 22 - Asian territories, Feb 24 - European markets), and you still haven't secured a place in the Halo 3 multiplayer public beta you can still get in via specially marked boxes of Crackdown. These boxes of Crackdown include an invite to participate in the coveted Halo 3 multiplayer beta program when it becomes available. When the Halo 3 multiplayer beta surfaces in spring 2007, those owners of Crackdown that have access to an Xbox 360 Pro console or an Xbox 360 Core console with hard drive and a valid Xbox Live Gold subscription simply need to load their copy of Crackdown into Xbox 360 and use the disc as a key to download the beta from Xbox Live Marketplace and join the battle in Halo 3 multiplayer.

Hopefully this information provides some additional clarity. See you online!

*Limit one registration / Halo 3 beta invite per person and Xbox Live gamertag. Your invitation is non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. The Halo 3 beta is available in English only.

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