The word came in a couple days ago that Microsoft Game Studios was set to announce a big new IP at X06, their annual Xbox event, which is set for September 27 and 28 this year. Now Spong is reporting that Bungie is set to reveal a brand new game they're working on, and that the two announcements are more than likely one and the same. Of course, most people are focusing not on what this game might be, but on the fact that Bungie is working on a game after Halo 3 that isn't Halo 4.

Speaking to a Microsoft source close to the management of the entire Xbox 360 project today, we were told that, "As far as things stand, Halo 3 is the last game [in the series] and it's more than just 'a thing to say' which I know came as a surprise to everyone [at Microsoft Game Studios not involved with the decision-making process] when it was announced. A new game from Bungie, not Halo 4, will be announced soon and pre-production has begun. So if you're looking for what to expect at X06, you should be looking at that."

Bungie has been saying for a while that the current run of Halo is a trilogy, and was meant to end with Halo 3. This doesn't stop them from making a new trilogy, of course, and there are rumors of just that (some say a prequel trilogy). And of course, they would be stupid to drop their biggest franchise, and Microsoft certainly wouldn't let them if they wanted to. But it does raise the question of when the next Halo might be. Bungie never seemed to be in much of a rush to get games in the series out the door to begin with, and other projects might further delay them. This is all speculation, naturally, but for some reason I can't expect to see a new Halo (after 3) within the next couple of years, at least.

Source: Spong