A website has recently reported, then retracted a story claiming that Microsoft would charge for Halo 2 clan support. Not only was the story nonsense, but the subsequent retraction and admission of falsehood was beneath contempt, blaming, in effect, reader gullibility for its own deception.

We don't normally address rumors one way or the other, but this one was so ill-conceived and mean spirited that we felt it necessary to cut it off at the pass. Halo 2 clan content will be a normal aspect of the Xbox Live service, and will incur no extra costs for the user. Sigh.

Sketch, working from beyond the grave (home sick in fact) still manages to get you a dose of Halo 2 graphical goodness with these sweet new [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=3]SCREENSHOTS[/url] - and yeah, you read it right, screenshots [i]plural[/i].

These two new shots show off dual Needlers and a great view of Zanzibar's windmill power generating facility. So what are you waiting for? Go [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=3]check 'em out[/url].

It's been posted over at [url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=426274]HBO forums for a few days now[/url] but thanks to tech difficulties, we were unable to get it up on the front page. So as usual, plenty of people thought it was fake. Oh well.

There's tons of stuff about E3, Zanzibar and new features found in the game - so head over there right now. If you haven't read the updates before, then check out our [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&subsection=WeeklyUpdate&page=1]ARCHIVE[/url] to find out what you've been missing.

The Marathon Map Makers Guild announces Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge for OS X - now in beta!

The MMMG is excited to announce that Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge (EMR) has been converted to the Aleph One engine, bringing EMR to the Mac OS X platform. EMR was the most ambitious undertaking ever to be unleashed for Marathon Infinity, so bringing EMR to OS X is great news for EMR fans all over. See each original level of EMR rendered beautifully with Aleph One's OpenGL support. Battle Morgana's minions across time and space, wielding weapons and encountering characters native to different time periods. Internationally acclaimed for its talented pool of level designers, artists, musicians, and physics designers, the Marathon Map Makers Guild has transformed the original Marathon into a spectacular magical new world of legend, mystery, intrigue and challenge. EMR is the sequel to the very popular Devil in a Blue Dress scenario, the MMMG's first scenario release. The EMR adventure, spread across 37 solo levels, weaves a tale of truth and honor, knighthood and bravery, darkness and treachery. EMR also delivers 26 adrenaline pumped network levels. Challenge your friends in environments ranging from untamed raptor-infested jungles, to castle arenas, to war-torn streets of the future. The MMMG is currently looking for beta testers to ensure that the game runs bug-free under OS X. Unlike EMR for Infinity, EMR for OS X does not require that you own Marathon or Marathon Infinity. It is based upon the open source Aleph One engine, and everything you need to play EMR for OS X is available for download. Beta testers will also get to help critique newly revised hi-res textures and 3D objects. If you are interested in beta testing, subscribe to the MMMG mailing list and express your interest. All are welcome. Subscribe to the MMMG mailing list at the following URL: http://mac.excaliburworld.com/mmmg/

Once again Spring is reaching it's end and Summer is right around the corner, and so is this year's Myth World Cup! It's time to dust off your Myth2: Soulblighter CD and fire up the game. Because of last years surprisingly good turnout we are once again hosting this mother of all tournaments. I know you all are looking for a good excuse to get your myth back on, and here it is!

Head over to [url]http://www.mwc04.com[/url] and register your team! And why wouldn’t you? This year we have a $1000 prize for the winning team! It is the biggest prize ever that’s been given away in a Myth tournament and also probably one of the best available in any internet gaming tournament. And if that isn't enough, we also have some other monetary and Myth related prizes available. So go to the Mwc2004 website and register. Good luck, and let the carnage begin!

Still awake out there? As promised, we've got some more Halo 2 goodness coming your way straight from E3 in LA. Check out our latest [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=3]screenshot![/url]

A chain gun. A destroyed Warthog. A boosting Ghost... What more needs to be said? Go see it for yourself. Stick around, we've got a few more goodies coming later this week.

In case you didn't notice, [url=http://www.bungie.net/Inside/Page.aspx?section=WebCams&subsection=Main&page=1]webcam[/url] #2 is now up and running live from Los Angeles! Tune in and watch the madness unfold in the Xbox booth throughout E3. You can also watch the FanFest festivities on Thursday night.

All is quiet at the moment... but in a few hours several thousand people are going to jam into the Xbox booth for a chance to check out the latest upcoming titles. Now you can check out the action yourself, albeit from a far away semi-blurry webcam perspectie. =) Thursday night at 7:30 is the FanFest so you can also attend virtually and see the action happening on the floor. More goodness to come, stay tuned.

To many people the word "Library" means a sprawling labrynth of mutant infested corridors deep beneath the surface of an ancient alien construct. Now that word means something else.

The Library is a new website that has been under construction since last fall. It is an encyclopedia of all things Halo. From history, to weapons, to technology, everything Halo has been brought here in this compendeum of Halo knowledge. Screens, facts, resources from all around the internet, books, and strategy guides, have all been compiled to create this site. Nothing is left out, and more will come as Halo 2 is released and the Halo universe is expanded by Bungie in other mediums. Several prominent people from the Bungie/Halo fan community have had (and still have) a large part in this project, including Djof, BOLL, and X L N C, who had lent his screen-taking prowess to help create some unique screens for the Library. Also, Psyrixx, proprietor of Psyjnir.net and Psyjnir.org has graciously hosted us on his servers. The site is still under construction, and the layout is basic. For now, there is a teaser site up right now so people around the community can help proof-read the text, fill in any blanks, and help catch small mistakes. Most of the screens are up for your viewing pleasure as well, and more will be added every day. Library.Psyjnir.Net Come check us out, and help us make this the best source of Halo knowlege in the world! >Saint

Jen Taylor (the voice of Cortana) is the star of my film, titled INHERITANCE. We need your help in getting us distribution. We are trying to prove to distributors that Jen has a built in audience from her work in HALO.

I'm the director/producer of a feature film called INHERITANCE, starring Jen Taylor -- better known as the voice of CORTANA. Several distributors have shown great interest in the film, but they are reluctant to distribute the film because there are "no stars" in the film. We are trying to convince them that there is a huge audience out there, namely HALO players, who would go see our film if it were to get a release. We need your help. Please follow this link: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/501881528 to sign a petition stating that you are anxious for the release of the film INHERITANCE. To see the trailer, and get a look at the face behind the voice of CORTANA, visit: http://www.inheritancefilm.com/press/trailer.html. Please help us. With your assistance Jen Taylor and INHERITANCE might just get a wide release, otherwise our film may never see the light of day. Thanks, Kris Kristensen SCOTOPIA PICTURES http://www.scotopiapictures.com e: [email protected]

So, the game launches on November 9th, 2004, but we bet you can't wait until then to check out what the special, limited collector's edition looks like, so, here, for the first time ever, are pics of the box prototype.

Halo 2: Release Date and Collector's Edition Unveiled [img]http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/metalboxshotz/frontmetalboxsm.gif[/img] Halo 2 will be available in stores on November 9, 2004. That's the long and the short of it. You'll be playing Campaign, multiplayer or both on November 9th. And if you pre-order, you'll have the chance to purchase an extra-fancy collector's edition in a metal box. I can still remember that feeling of buying my first ever game. In my case, it was the Atari 2600 game COMBAT. I remember taking the bus home and reading the instruction manual. "52 different games in one!" Admittedly they were all variants of the same game, but, that feeling of rushing home to play it, but cherishing that pristine box of your favorite game is an irreplaceable feeling. Of course back then, the boxes were made of cardboard and mine got wet and disintegrated within a week. That's why we're pleased, no, elated to announce the existence of the Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition in its cool, steely silver, embossed, satin-finished, perfect, metal box. The Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition is available to players who pre-order the game - those who have already pre-ordered, will probably be contacted by their retailer to see which version they want, but to be safe, we recommend contacting your retailer directly and making sure they know which version you want - awesome regular kind or super-awesome Limited Collector's Edition. The exclusive 2-DVD set includes, in addition to Halo 2: * The Making of Halo 2: Behind the Scenes of Bungie Studios. * Featurettes on Game Design, Animation, Music and More. * Deleted Cinematics and Characters * Art Gallery: From Concept to game * Commentaries from the Development Team * And much, much more. So, that's that. You're probably enjoying the new the shots, and there'll be more Halo 2 goodness later in the week - but lest you forget, here's a list of awesome things in history that were made of metal. 1. Katanas 2. Tanks 3. Death Stars 4. Bullets 5. Deadly Teeth So enjoy and to keep you going, check out these shots of the metal box concept - it may change a little between now and November 9th. [url=http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/metalboxshotz/frontmetalbox.gif]FRONT OF BOX[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/metalboxshotz/backmetalbox.gif]BACK OF BOX[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/metalboxshotz/anglemetalbox.gif]ANGLE VIEW OF BOX[/url]

What's it like to play Halo 2 multiplayer for the first time? You've seen the screens, now hear a first hand report from our pals at IGN after they got an hour of hands-on time. We'll be updating our site as fast as we can but in the meantime, check out what they have to [url=http://xbox.ign.com/articles/513/513152p1.html ]say![/url]

I've played my share of Halo 2 multiplayer and the IGN recap is a perfect account of how I felt those first few games. (well, the good parts at least, but then again, maybe I am a little biased =) Hell, who am I kidding, I get giddy as a schoolgirl every time I play it. November 9th will be here before we know it and we can ALL play together. In the meantime, enjoy the new screens and stay tuned to Bungie.net for more info!

New glimpses of Halo 2 have arrived! Hurry over to the screenshot gallery and feast your eyes on the goodness. [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=3]Check 'em out![/url]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this story already has 8,000 words behind it. Yup, you got it - 8 brand spankin new Halo 2 screenshots are now up in the screenshot gallery for your viewing pleasure. E3 is officially underway and a big chunk of the darkness surrounding Halo 2 has been lifted. We'll have more lovin later this week so don't be a stranger. So go check out the new screens already! [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=3]Mmm.... multiplayer...[/url]

4v4 1k tournament @ Games n' More (located in Humble, TX 5 min north of Houston)

http://seventhcolumn.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.pl?file=/fanclub/8232/events/event_detail.html&getevid=221E8853-7BAF-4124-9A94-AF982FA27053 Games n' More is hosting a 4v4 1k tournament June 12th. It will be a double elimination tournament with a guaranteed payout of $1000 cash.

E3 is upon us, which means it's time for us to pack our bags and head south to the city of angels. The fesitivies kick off tonight with the big press briefing which means a flood of juicy new Halo 2 content is only hours away. Here's a quick heads up about what you can expect on the site this week!

This year we have high hopes that we'll actually be able to hook up one of our webcams for FanFest. So, expect the middle camera to be offline as of this afternoon. I'm going to TRY and hook it up tomorrow and hopefully leave it up for E3 as well as FanFest. Wish me luck! Tonight is the big press briefing where Microsoft and MGS shock and awe an arena full of media and press. Don't worry, I know most all of us can't actually be there, so we've got you covered on Bungie.net. As soon as the briefing concludes we'll have our finger on the 'submit' button ready to unleash a barrage of screenshots and new information. Stay tuned! Throughout the week Frankie and I will try to update the site as much as we can with the latest news and information regarding Halo 2. We've also got a few extra special screenshots stashed away for our loyal Bungie.net members. Thursday night is the Bungie FanFest and as I mentioned above, we're hoping to have a web cam broadcast from the floor of the event. The party starts around 7:30 so tune in and hopefully you can be with us in spirit. We'll post a full recap of the night along with some pics as soon as we can. Next week we'll have a lot of updating to do so be sure to check back. I'm also sitting on a treasure trove of screenshots from a recent magazine story that I'm dying to share with you. Check back later tonight for the new screens and stick around this week for what's sure to be the most exciting Halo 2 week since the game was announced! =)

After a long break - we decided to take the Weekly Update back to [url=http://www.forumplanet.com/3dactionplanet/halo/topic.asp?fid=5258&tid=1366678]Battleground Halo[/url]. Even though some big kids were mean to me there earlier. Tons of little snippets this week, and an admission that we have been doing something for E3.

Yup, the Weekly Update has its usual collection of veiled secrets, half truths and zero screenshots, but it's still a fascinating peek inside the minds that brought you SPNKR and sticky grenades. And if you haven't read nay of the previous Weekly Updates, go [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&subsection=WeeklyUpdate&page=1]CHECK OUT THE ARCHIVE[/url]

Doug Zartman, former Bungie superstar, is headed off to pastures new(er) but we managed to track him down before he left his Microsoft coroporate gig, for a triumphant return to the Oldschool with newschool software company, Wideload Games. Confused? You won't be.

[b]Doug Z: Child Actor, Adult Star [/b] Doug Zartman has done it all. He's headed up our PR operation, he's designed game levels and he's left Bungie and taken off for cushy corporate gigs in the fancier part of the campus. But through it all, he's been a Bungie luminary and alumni. Until now that is. Doug is taking off for Alex Seropian's new outfit, Wideload Games. So while he'll always be family, he'll now be more like a crazy uncle who lives in a burned out trailer on the bad side of town, raising pitbulls and yelling at trains. Here is his last Bungie interview. Sob. [b]Q: When did you start at Bungie, what was it like and what did you do? [/b] [b]A: [/b]Alex hired me in May of 1994 for the archetypal small-company role of tech support/PR - tech support for Pathways into Darkness and Minotaur, and PR for a shooter they were working on called Marathon (aka "Pathways into Uranus"). With only four employees and a few contract workers, I did everything that wasn't business or game development: hand-assembling, shrink-wrapping and mailing copies of Minotaur, managing poor sweet Carolyn who laboriously data-entered our registration cards, trying to swap games for the new version of Quark (tightfisted bastards), schlepping PowerMacs to user group meetings and fielding their ridiculous questions, writin' whatever needed to be written. Mostly, talking to all kinds of people. Designed a few levels for Marathon 2 and Infinity. I also did a little voice work for those games. [b]Q: In all your years at the company, what’s the weirdest thing you ever did?[/b] [b]A: [/b]Got a Myth II sticker on John Romero's back without him noticing (during his supastar period) - not so weird, but it was part of my JOB. Did a dead man's float, fully dressed, in the pool of the Phoenix hotel for a Canadian TV show. Wrote friendly, sarcastic replies (letters, on paper! Sent through the mail!) to fan mail about how we had to find and torture real Skitters for Pathways sound effects. Heatedly debated the scope of the First Amendment and its application to private corporations with a woman whose son had been booted from bungie.net. Generated dozens of humorous anagrams of "Bungie Company Directory" for official purposes. And just in case there's anyone who hasn't heard the story, took a late night tech support call from Tom Cruise, in London on the set of Mission Impossible, who was having trouble finishing Ay Mak Sicur <<spelling check>> in Marathon Infinity, and whose flunky rudely declined my request for a Marathon plug on Letterman. Think about that - Tom Cruise, who presumably had other entertainment options, played *all the way through* Marathon Infinity. Some of those later levels… [b]Q: How is it being so close, and yet so far?[/b] [b]A:[/b] I'm only across the driveway, but a whole 'nother world. I'm currently in the Consumer Products Group, which licenses MGS properties for ancillary products. We work with dev teams and dozens of licensees to produce novels, action figures, soundtracks, games on demand, Mac ports, GBA games, board games, wireless ports, film deals... sometimes for properties other than Halo! It's a whole lot of mostly uncredited work for a very small group of people - let's give it up for the Consumer Products Group! All right! It's occasionally poignant, no longer sharing the in-jokes, camaraderie and towering, er, "self-confidence" that have characterized Bungie since the beginning. Work-wise though, it's interesting, and I like seeing a wide range of games in development rather than the one-at-a-time perspective inside a studio. I sometimes regale my Bungie friends with tales of what its like
[b]Q: Bungie: Who’s the best guy? [/b] [b]A: [/b]It’s a tossup – either the Webmaster, though in light of the recent surgery to more thoroughly conceal his identity, I'm not sure he still qualifies, technically. Who can tell under that suit, anyway? Or it’s Chucky's ass. It's hasn't been seen in public much lately, certainly not like the old days, but is still the shining example of perfection that inspires everyone at Bungie to create the very best. [b]Q: What’s the secret origin of the Bungie name? [/b] [b]A:[/b] I guess now, after all this time, the tru7h can be told. One night during a Macworld convention, we were celebrating a day of frenzied sales in the hotel bar. Alex had had a bit to drink, and was uncharacteristically moody. He had been staring into the distance while the rest of us talked, then suddenly sobbed, and this confession spilled out. It seems that he had had a previous game company, Gnoptics, and a different partner, Patrick "Bungee Boi" O'Flanagan, a devotee of elastic-based sports, and they were like brothers. Patrick was a good guy, but stubborn, and was adamant that they remain a Mac-only developer, eschewing the fame and riches in making games for the PC or consoles. Months of bitter argument failed to sway Patrick from this position, and in the end, Alex had no choice but to kill him. Strangled him with his bare hands. Alex was decisive like that. It bothered him though, and to assuage his guilt, he attempted to name his next company after Patrick. Like most journalists, he misspelled the name. [b]Q: In PR, you were at the pointy end of media relations. What was Bungie’s lowest ebb in that regard? [/b] [b]A: [/b]Certainly the roughest patch was the Myth II recall, having to call 150 reviewers the day we learned of the problem to ask them to dispose of the Gold Masters I had just lovingly wrapped in tchotchkies and sent off with great fanfare. But in a way the recall later turned out to be a PR high note since people recognized that we had the cojones to make the hard call and do the right thing, despite the ruinous expense and difficulty, instead of simply patching it. There was a nice piece in PC Gamer online that affirmed this. The weeks leading up to the announcement of the Microsoft acquisition were no picnic either. Putting the wily Aaron Loeb off the scent in the face of widespread MGS leaks was one of my better moments. That guy should be interrogating the Taliban. [b]Q: What’s your personal all-time favorite Bungie game? [/b] Vulcan, the great Marathon level editing tool. It was later cleaned up by the great Marathon level editing Tool Jason "Power Rodding" Regier and renamed Forge for inclusion in Marathon Infinity. It's true - building games can be as much or more fun than playing them, and I may get back to that sometime in the future. Maybe the very near future, like in a month. See ya starside!

By now, you've all heard about the release of Halo Custom Edition and the HEK. While Gearbox is taking point on this release through their website and forums, we realize that many of you are not familiar with that community or what the Halo Custom Edition is.

The Halo PC test lead, Roger "sawnose" Wolfson, has posted a [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=51694]FAQ in the Maw[/url] that should help you figure out what is going on. It also may help clarify some questions that some of you have asked us via various emails and forum posts. Although the FAQ mentions this, it is important to note that Halo Custom Edition is unsupported by Microsoft and Bungie. We can only provide support for the official Halo PC release, currently at version 1.04. Questions regarding Halo Custom Edition and the Halo Editing Kit (HEK) should be dealt with through the Gearbox forums. Please send questions and comments regarding the release that way.

As you may have noticed, the site was updated earlier today. Many of the changes were internal but there were two fixes of note that you'll notice right away.

The first change you'll notice is the return of the message indicator. Previously, it was necessary to go to your profile page to see your private messages. Now, however, an indicator will appear next to your name (and Xbox Live friends indicator, if you have it) that will inform you from any page if you have new messages. The second visible change is a modification of the layout of the forums and certain other pages. You'll notice that the title bar no longer sports the large Bungie logo. This should make the forums a bit easier to read, especially with long posts.

On Wednesday from approximately 10am PDT to 12pm PDT, all Bungie.net web services will be offline for maintenance. We apologize for the downtime, but after the site comes back online, there will be several updates in store for you.

Most of the updates are fairly minor, but they are all part of our continuing effort to improve bungie.net both in terms of features and stability. Thank you for your patience.

It's Marty O'Donnell's birthday tomorrow, and without him Halo would be as silent as an especially shy cartographer. But Marty exists, is paid by the decibel and so Halo rocks harder than one-armed T-Shirt sales at a Def Leppard concert. Let's wish him all the best.

[b]The Origin of Marty O'Donnell: A Birthday Story[/b] Marty O'Donnell, Bungie Maestro and leader of the Glorious Honorable Marty Army, turns 107 years old tomorrow! [img]/images/News/InlineImages/martbdaypic.gif[/img] Born in a time of cholera, scurvy and spastic dysentery, Marty O'Donnell had a hardscrabble childhood in an Irish mining town, where as an orphaned guttersnipe, he would make money by roasting gassed canaries and serving them, rotisserie-style, to hungry miners. But Marty needed to escape the grime, soot and poverty, he had a higher calling. On a harmonica he fashioned himself, from the rotten teeth of a crushed Dublin mineshaft-waxer, Marty blew his way to freedom. Dancing a jig outside of a Limerick pub every night through hail, rain, snow and the occasional goosing, young Marty earned enough for a sixth class passage on the steam liner "Albatross." Nailed to the propeller shaft to save on luxury tax, Marty rotated across the Atlantic, blowing his yellowed Harmonica, barely audible above the thundering rhythm of the propellers. But blow he did, and the foundations upon which he would later compose, were laid in axle grease, stench and vomit. Marty found himself at Ellis Island, with only one penny to rub together. He earned enough cash to spend a week stapled to the frozen roof of a Bronx flophouse, by selling his own scabs to prostitutes who would use them as fake lips. But Marty composed all the while. Often, he would walk by the new York Philharmonic, a tiny pale rapscallion, dwarfed among the fur and finery of New York's elite. But a break was to come. Shivering in an alley behind the imposing concert hall, Marty was soaked in a frozen deluge of saliva, as the brass instrument cleaner dumped the evening's spittle collection. "What you doing out there in the cold son? Come in here where it's warm, and start swabbing these trombones. I'll give you a shiny new kick in the arse for every instrument you clean." Marty worked his way up the ranks, from spit-swabber to bow-bender, to drum-tightener to loafer-lightener. Eventually, it came to the notice of Sir Edward Carney-Hands, the maestro and conductor of the 1908 New York Philharmonic, that Marty could hold a tune. He took the now-teenage Marty under his wing, or more accurately, into his Manhattan basement. When Marty limped into daylight many years later, he was a man, of sorts. A stout young fellow with an education from both the school of hard knocks, and the New York high School for the Performing Arts. And an MD from the Hollywood Upstairs School of Medicine. He had arrived. And one sunny afternoon, just before the great Wall Street Crash, Marty met this group of monks… Birthday Greetings to Marty, from Bungie, with Love. [url=http://seventhcolumn.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.pl?file=%2Ffanclub%2F1%2F&submit=Go]Visit the Marty Army Fanclub/Homepage/World Domination Site[/url]

This week's update comes from a forum very, very close to our hearts - the Bungie Underground Forum. Home to some of the most sophisticated, urbane forum posters on the planet. A short, sharp shock of an update, since the Bungie team is as busy as a single mother-bee juggling three jobs and an angry hive of children.

Read the post [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=43593]HERE[/url] And there are a few nuggets of juicy info about the UI, some graphics stuff and more, and there's always something in there for the fans. If you haven't read the Weekly Updates before, you should go check them out in the [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&subsection=WeeklyUpdate&page=1]ARCHIVE[/url]

Would-be-modders who have been waiting patiently for the Halo Editing Kit don't have to wait much longer. Today we're happy to announce that [url=http://www.gearboxsoftware.com]Gearbox[/url] will be releasing the HEK along with a few additional code updates very soon...

Good news for fans of Halo PC! Gearbox Software has nearly finished work on the much anticipated Halo Editing Kit and a public release is very close. Bungie received the near final build of the HEK two weeks ago and is happy to report that the code has been reviewed and passed back to Gearbox for final testing and distribution. The HEK will allow gamers to create their own maps and multiplayer experiences using the same suite of tools the developers use. Gearbox will oversee the release and ongoing support of the HEK, which is not officially supported by Bungie or Microsoft. Both teams have worked together to create a process in which Gearbox can continue to release content updates and game enhancements without affecting the original retail code. Fans who are interested in playing custom created maps or taking advantage of new game updates will need to download the new software available on the Gearbox site. These new software updates are optional and will not be included in the game's auto-update system. Stay tuned to Bungie.net in the days and weeks ahead for more information on the HEK and additional developments for Halo PC. For more information about the Halo Editing Kit, check out the [url=http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/HaloPCEditingFAQ.htm]Halo PC Editing FAQ[/url] at the Gearbox site. UPDATE: Gearbox has a new forum up and running strictly for discussing the upcoming "Halo Custom Edition" - the name for the new unsupported software they are releasing soon. Get the latest scoop [url=http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Halo&Number=175740&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1]HERE.[/url]