"Certainly there will never be a console beta of this magnitude," Jarrard told the Seattle Times just before the the open multiplayer test launched its 18-day run. If there ever is a console beta that aims to top Reach, it will have to attract more than 2.7 million gamers. That's the official figure Bungie announced today.
"Players completed more than 13 million online games and logged over 16 million hours of online gameplay, amounting to over 1,826 years of total play time in just over a two-week period," Bungie said in a statement released this morning. "The data and user feedback gathered from the beta will help Bungie and Microsoft further refine the game and deliver a blockbuster experience that fans have come to expect from the Halo franchise."
Those refinements will have to be made by September 14, the official worldwide release date Microsoft announced today for Halo: Reach.
"Halo: Reach is the culmination of a decade of Halo, a franchise that has become a global entertainment and pop-culture touchstone," Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said in a statment. "Just as Halo: Combat Evolved catalyzed the success of the original Xbox to define a decade of entertainment, Halo: Reach will push the boundaries for what's possible in video games and help make 2010 the biggest year in Xbox history."
Sharkey says: Good for Bungie for giving gamers such unprecedented access to Reach in the beta. The final product will only be that much better now that 2.7 million gamers have taken the multiplayer maps, modes, weapons, and armor abilities for a very thorough test drive. Can't wait to see the final product in September.
