Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta hits Xbox LIVE worldwide on May 16

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios offer gamers exclusive first experience of one of 2007's most anticipated entertainment releases

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today confirmed the multiplayer beta of Halo 3 will debut to audiences worldwide via Xbox LIVE on May 16 at 10pm EST and run through to June 7 at 4:59pm EST.

May 16 can't come soon enough for anxious Halo 3 fans.

Made possible through the Xbox LIVE gaming and entertainment network, the multiplayer beta for Halo 3 will allow Xbox 360 gamers to get their hands on the new levels, weapons, vehicles and game types, as well as a chance to provide valuable data that Bungie will use in continued development.

Starting May 16, gamers who secured their admission to the multiplayer beta by purchasing a specially marked copy of Crackdown for Xbox 360 will be able to don their Spartan armor, download the beta on Xbox LIVE, and jump online using their Xbox LIVE Gold account* to battle other gamers from around the world.

Coming exclusively to the Xbox 360 console this spring, Halo 3 is the highly anticipated third chapter in the groundbreaking "Halo" trilogy from legendary developers Bungie. Halo 3 lets gamers experience Master Chief's greatest battle as he launches an epic mission to stop the Covenant, destroy the impending Flood threat and ultimately save mankind.

Rampage through new levels with new vehicles.

The Halo 3 multiplayer beta showcases three richly detailed, action-oriented maps: Snowbound, High Ground and Valhalla, which represent a mixture of large- and medium-scale combat environments and are brand-new to "Halo 3." Each map will test gamers' mettle as they are placed behind the controls of new vehicles such as the agile Mongoose all-terrain vehicle, and armed with deadly weapons such as the new and improved Assault Rifle, the ferocious Brute Spiker, the devastating Spartan Laser and the treacherous new Spike Grenades. This is just a taste of what gamers will experience later this year when Halo 3 goes on sale.

Nick Segger, Group Marketing Manager, Xbox Australia and New Zealand, says, "The 'Halo 3' multiplayer beta is a rare opportunity for Xbox LIVE gamers to participate in the development of one of this year's most significant releases. We're proud to be able to offer fans the chance to sample some of the new content to appear in the next installment of their favourite series and we'll use their feedback to fine-tune the final game to perfection."

Halo 3 promises to be an unforgettable experience.

Gamers worldwide can still participate in the multiplayer beta of Halo 3 through the purchase of the critically acclaimed Xbox 360 title "Crackdown," which was launched in February. From Realtime Worlds, Crackdown pushes the action-driving hybrid genre into the next generation with a vast, free-roaming and truly 3-D playground. Each copy of Crackdown has been specially marked with a Halo 3 beta sticker prior to the beta period, and starting May 16 the game will act as a key for gamers to download and participate in the Halo 3 multiplayer beta.

In addition, gamers who can't wait for the multiplayer beta this May can get an even earlier look at Halo 3 with a new, behind-the-scenes video feature available at http://www.bungie.net and in high definition over Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Starting today, viewers can go behind the scenes at Bungie Studios to learn about the people, technology and process that are making Halo 3 an unforgettable multiplayer experience, and to get a taste of what to expect from the upcoming Halo 3 multiplayer beta. The latest multiplayer video documentary, titled "Is Quisnam Protero Damno!," will offer a glimpse at how Halo 3 multiplayer maps are being designed, built and architected, and how these amazing spaces are converted into fun places in which to play. Gamers can also catch the first-ever glimpse of brand-new Halo 3 multiplayer levels in their early stages of evolution and construction.

* The Halo 3 multiplayer beta will require gamers to have access to an Xbox 360 console equipped with a hard drive as well as an Xbox LIVE Gold Membership†.

† Subscription charges apply for Xbox LIVE Gold membership.