Halo 4 Release Date Confirmed for Holiday Season 2012

Microsoft has just confirmed that Halo 4 will be released this holiday season. The game is currently in development at 343 Industries, which took over the helm of the franchise after Bungie departed from Microsoft to work on its own projects. Members of 343 Industries previously worked on Halo: Reach, so it won't be their first time working on a Halo game.

Halo 4 is the start of a new Halo trilogy, starring Master Chief, and takes place after the events of the third game in which Master Chief finds himself lost in deep space. The new game will see his return to civilization.

The release date announcement was accompanied by the release of screenshots for the title as well as an in-depth "Behind the Scenes" video, that showcased the game's multiplayer aspects, the development of Master Chief, and updates to the game's engine and graphics. The announcements were made public at the GDC event currently taking place in San Francisco.

Halo 4, like previous Halo titles, is exclusive to Microsoft's Xbox 360 console. Don't expect it to land on any other platforms anytime soon.