After months of teasing, speculation and delayed announcements for its next project, Halo creator Bungie continues the mystery with the below teaser trailer.

Though the video isn't explicitly clear as to what it is teasing, the Xbox Live Marketplace offers the following clarification: "High action and deep mystery await players in this new Halo 3 campaign experience. Prepare to drop!"

The video ends with a mention of Halo 3--which hit Xbox 360 exactly one year ago today--along with the phrase "Prepare to Drop." It also hints at something occurring on 01/06/09, as seen in this screen capture provided by NeoGAF user Tapiozona, with many speculating that the new campaign may arrive on that day.

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While publisher Microsoft may not be ready to unveil Bungie's next Halo-related project, that hasn't stopped the studio from hinting at its current work, this time in the form of a video acceptance speech for EDGE's Interactive Innovation Award.

Narrated by Bungie's Luke Smith, the video looks to be set in a Halo 3 (360) multiplayer map filled with AI bots, a feature the game currently doesn't support, and appears to show a full-fledged map creator at the end--suggesting that Halo 3 may be receiving additional features and functionality, most likely as downloadable content.

"Even though in Halo 3 you finished the fight, that doesn't necessarily mean that the ride's over," noted Smith. "Wait a second, there is no way we're showing this yet."

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Developer Bungie has "a lot to learn" from Infinity Ward's use of scripted events in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Bungie programmer Damian Isla has admitted.

"[Infinity Ward] did a hell of a job with their set pieces, of scripting certain moments that they were really sure the player was going to actually see and experience first hand," the lead API programmer told GamesIndustry.biz. "Halo has a lot to learn from."

Left, Bungie's Halo 3. Right, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Though both shooters have many scripted moments, Isla lamented that Halo players often miss them or "don't experience it in quite the same way that we ... Read more

Halo creator and independent developer Bungie is currently at work on three different projects, the company has revealed.

"At the moment we do have three distinct projects underway within Bungie—some familiar, some not. Some on a closer horizon, some quite far off," a Bungie employee wrote on the developer's official website.

The studio noted that it has no plans to make any official announcements at next month's Penny Arcade Expo, but said that more information would be made available "when the time is right."

Publisher Microsoft confirmed last week that Bungie is indeed working on a new Halo title beyond its assistance with Ensemble Studios' RTS Halo Wars and... Read more

Bungie president Harold Ryan voiced disagreement with Microsoft over the publisher's decision to bump the Halo maker's latest project reveal out of E3, now slated to debut a future event.

"I certainly didn't agree with the decision to delay our news until sometime after E3," Ryan told Eurogamer. "Bungie is always concerned first and foremost with our fans. Whenever we are prevented from exceeding their positive expectations it is not a laughing matter."

Bungie teased a reveal of its next Halo project on its official website, with a countdown suggesting that more information would be made available during last week's E3 Media and Business Summit.

A letter from Ryan later appeared on the website the day before the scheduled revealing, claiming that "those plans were just changed by our publisher... Read more

Halo series developer Bungie is working on an entirely new entry in the franchise beyond its assistance with Ensemble Studios' RTS title Halo Wars and the nebulous Peter Jackson-helmed Halo game.

Microsoft VP Don Mattrick revealed the news while he was speaking with MTV News this week, clearly stating that the new Bungie project will come in addition to Halo Wars and the Peter Jackson effort, often referred to as Halo Chronicles.

Bungie had been teasing an E3 reveal of its latest title, but the unveiling was prevented by publisher Microsoft at the last minute. The studio had previously said it was working on a new Halo game, though it was unclear if that revelation suggested a new title or merely assistance with Halo Wars and Chronicles.

Following the release of Halo 3 last year, Bungie regained its independence from corporate owner Microsoft. The studio has since affirmed it will develop exclusively for the Xbox 360, and that it has a non-Halo prototype in development.

Developer Bungie's website has been updated with a letter from company president Harold Ryan, who states that contrary to earlier reports, Bungie's new project will not be revealed during E3.

"For the last several months, we've been building toward a reveal of something exciting that Bungie is working on," said Ryan. "We were looking forward to sharing that with our fan community during the week of E3. However, those plans were just changed by our publisher."

He added, "We realize that many of our fans are disappointed by this turn of events; members of the Bungie team share that disappointment."

Though Bungie became independent last year after several years under the Microsoft umbrella, the Seattle software giant retained publishing rights on Bungie's current and future projects.

While today's conferences did not yield any details on the next project from Halo creators Bungie, a countdown on the studio's site indicates that more information will arrive on Wednesday morning.

Bungie had previously teased that something would happen today--likely referring to the launch of the teaser site and the accompanying countdown.

The developer has remained rather quiet regarding its future projects, online affirming that its future titles will be exclusive to the Xbox 360. The studio is known to have a non-Halo property and "other Halo games" in the works.

Now-independent Halo series developer Bungie will announce its new project next Monday, going by hints at the end of the studio's most recent podcast.

"Isn't there something going on July 14th or something like that," Bungie's Brian Jarrard asks at the end. "Somehow that's sticking in my head for some reason," he continues in an extremely suggestive tone. "Guess we'll have to see."

While the E3 Media & Business Summit does not officially begin until July 15, former studio owner Microsoft and current Bungie publisher is holding its E3 press conference on Monday, July 14.

Apart from its ongoing support of Halo 3 (360) with downloadable maps, the developer has remained rather quiet regarding its future projects. However, Bungie has affirmed that its future titles will be exclusive to the Xbox 360, and is known to have a non-Halo property and "other Halo games" in the works.

Bungie Studios content manager has announced his departure from the company to work with former parent company and publisher Microsoft on upcoming Halo titles.

O'Connor, who has served in the development of Halo 2 and 3 on the Xbox and Xbox 360 respectively, broke the news of his departure on Bungie's website.

"I am leaving you," O'Connor wrote. "I am off to work more closely with Microsoft on the Halo franchise, so I shan't be too far away, but I wanted to take this last chance, appropriately enough in a Weekly Update, to tell you a very fond thanks."

While O'Connor and Microsoft's internal studios continue work on the Halo franchise, Bungie—which achieved corporate independence from Microsoft late last year—is meanwhile working on undisclosed new properties while continuing to support... Read more

Coming with the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack this spring, Ghost Town is a map that Bungie refers to as the "O.K. Corral."

"As an asymmetric map it's designed for things like One Bomb, and One Flag. It also creates a great environment for FFA and team slayer," says Bungie artist Cameron Pinard.

Check out some stills of the arena below.

The original Xbox editions of Team Ninja's action-slasher Ninja Gaiden Black, Firaxis Games' swashbuckling simulator Sid Meier's Pirates!, and Criterion Games' first-person shooter Black will be available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace beginning Monday, February 11.

Word of the impending releases recently appeared through the online marketplace itself as well as the official Xbox web site.

The three mark the latest additions to the recently launched Xbox Originals program, bringing its selection up to 11 titles. Other Xbox Originals releases include Bungie's Halo, Double Fine's Psychonauts, and Criterion's Burnout 3: Takedown, with each game selling for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

Bullies in a Point Pleasant, NJ school district are teabagging other children a la Bungie's Halo series, the Asbury Park Press reports.

Point Pleasant resident Jane Chmielwski said her son was assaulted by a group of boys, one of whom held the child to the ground while another put his crotch to his head. The incident was documented with a cell phone camera.

Schools have classified the act as sexual harassment, acknowledging that the recent trend of teabagging as part of routine bullying was likely inspired by Halo, "in which players can perform a posturing move over a defeated enemy," the APP notes.

Reports of taunting, teasing and Halo-brand teabagging have been occurring off school grounds, prompting school administrators to consider a new bullying policy which would allow punishment of students for incidents occurring both off and on the schoolyard.

New numbers released by the NPD Group reveal that the Xbox 360 version of Infinity Ward's intense shooter Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare edged out the competition this holiday season, barely beating Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy to become the top selling game in December.

For those interested in how the gift-giving spirit factored into this year's record sales for the industry, the top ten console games for December 2007 follow, in order of units sold:

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 1.47 million
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo, Wii) - 1.40 million
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, PS2) - 1.25 million
4. Wii Play with Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 1.08 million
5. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, X360) - 893,000
6. Halo 3 (Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, X360) - 742,700
7. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (Nintendo, NDS) - 659,500
8. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts, PS2) - 655,200
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, X360) - 624,600
10. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega Japan, Sega, Wii) - 613,000

Riding a wave of strong software releases and still-fresh hardware offerings, the North American console video game market grew a massive 43 percent in 2007, according to new numbers released today by the NPD Group.

Overall industry sales totaled a record $17.94 billion--compared to 2006's take of $12.53 billion--with software making up $8.64 billion of the pie. The highest-selling games list, which doesn't factor PC software sales into the mix, was unsurprisingly lead by Bungie's Halo 3, followed up by Nintendo's remote-including Wii Play.

The top ten software titles follow, listed in order of units sold:

1. Halo 3 (Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, X360) - 4.82 million
2. Wii Play with Wii Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 4.12 million
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 3.04 million
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, PS2) - 2.72 million
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo, Wii) - 2.52 million
6. Pokemon Diamond Version (Game Freak, Nintendo, NDS) - 2.48 million
7. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts, PS2) - 1.90 million
8. Guitar Hero II (Harmonix, Activision, PS2) - 1.89 million
9. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, X360) - 1.87 million
10. Mario Party 8 (Hudson Soft, Wii) - 1.82 million

Consoles hardware sales topped out at $5.12 billion, with Nintendo again leading the competition. The yearly numbers are as follows, with life-to-date totals... Read more

Microsoft plans to train fans of Bungie's Halo 3 (X360) and then pit them against one another in the game's first official tournament, with the sponsorship of the U.S. Army.

Starting on January 19, three training sessions will be held: Sniper School, Heavy Weapons, and Vehicles, with registration for Sniper School now open at the official site. Those who register their Xbox Live gamertags and then play an online Halo 3 match will also be entered into a sweepstakes to win a framed Master Chief print or 800 Microsoft Points.

Registration for the championship tournament itself will open in March, with the games to begin in April.

The Xbox 360 has sold in excess of 17.7 million units worldwide, Microsoft revealed today in a statement that included several other sales figures.

The company also announced that Bungie's Xbox 360 exclusive Halo 3 has sold over 8.1 million copies since September 25, 2007, with BioWare's fellow Xbox 360 exclusive Mass Effect moving more than 1.6 million units after its November 20 release.

The figures follow proclamations made by Microsoft VP of corporate marketing Jeff Bell last December, in which he claimed that Halo 3 had sold in excess of 5 million units and Mass Effect sales totaled over 1 million copies.

"When we look back at 2007, we'll say this was the best holiday lineup in video game history," Bell stated at the time.

NPD just released its game industry data for November, and the month containing the infamous Black Friday brought with it an insane level of video game sales across the board. The $2.63 billion brought in by the gaming industry marked a 52% year-over-year increase compared to last November.

Software sales eclipsed hardware sales in both dollar amounts and year-over-year change. The 62% year-over-year increase in software sales brought in $1.31 billion for the month, led by 1.57 million units of Infinity Ward's shooter Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, PS3, X360) for Xbox 360.

Nintendo's Mario Galaxy (Wii) and Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed (PC, PS3, X360) on Xbox 360, both released later in the month, brought in second and third place in sales with 1.12 million units and 980,000 units sold, respectively. Notably absent from the top-10 best-sellers, listed below, is Harmonix's Rock Band (PS2, PS3, X360), which sold a combined 382,000 units across both PS3 and Xbox 360.

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X360, Infinity Ward, Activision) 1.57 million
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo) 1.12 million
3. Assassin's Creed (X360, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft) 980,000
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock Bundle (PS2, Budcat, Activision) 967,000
5. Wii Play with remote (Wii, Nintendo) 564,000
6. Mass Effect (X360, BioWare, Microsoft) 473,000
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Infinity Ward, Activision) 444,000
8. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock Bundle (Wii, Vicarious Visions, Activision) 426,000
9. Halo 3 (X360, Bungie, Microsoft) 387,000
10. Assassin's Creed (PS3, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft) 377,000

Bungie's Halo 3 (X360) has sold more than 5 million copies since the game debuted in late September, Microsoft corporate VP of marketing Jeff Bell told GameDaily BIZ.

In its first month of availability, Halo 3 totaled over 3 million copies according to sales figures from September. Shortly after its release, developer Bungie broke away from owner Microsoft, though it will still develop exclusively for the Xbox 360. A new set of multiplayer maps for the game, said to be the first of many, was released this morning.

Bell also noted that BioWare's hotly anticipated sci-fi RPG Mass Effect (X360), which Microsoft published, sold over 1 million copies within its first three weeks on the market.

"When we look back at 2007, we'll say this was the best holiday lineup in video game history," claimed Bell.

The Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack, consisting of three brand new maps for Bungie's mega-blockbuster shooter, is out in just a few hours--but in case your frothing demand for this map pack increases, we've captured dozens of screenshots. Hit up our brief Heroic Map Pack impressions for more details about each map before you buy.

Ever wanted lots of cars you could drive inside (as opposed to a nut you can play outside)? Check out Rat's Nest, a base similar to the second level of Halo 3's campaign, but full of vehicles. Next up is Standoff, a fairly large outdoor map suited to objectives, with underground tunnels similar to those of Snowbound.

Finally, crate-strewn FPS haven Foundry is billed as the ultimate Forge map, with nearly all of its geometry in the form of removable objects. It introduces new Forge objects such as ramps and walls, which can be used in all three new maps.

The Heroic Map Pack will be available later today for 800 Microsoft Points ($10), with plans to be free some time in spring 2008, just before the next round of maps. Perhaps that will be called the Legendary Map Pack. You think?