Microsoft sets launch date for "Halo 3" video game

By Scott Hillis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. said on Tuesday it will release its "Halo 3" video game on September 25, a hugely anticipated event that the software giant hopes will help drive sales of its Xbox 360 gaming console.

"Halo 3" is the final installment of Microsoft's flagship video game franchise in which players assume the role of a futuristic soldier trying to turn the tide in a war against an alien army.

The game is expected to be a potent weapon for Microsoft as it fights Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. Ltd. for dominance in the $30 billion global video game industry.

The first "Halo" launched alongside the original Xbox in November 2001 and helped the newcomer console gain a foothold in the market.

"Halo 2" debuted in November 2004, racking up $125 million in sales in its first day and cementing the popularity of the Xbox Live online service that lets players compete against each other in frenetic "deathmatch" sessions.

By moving up the launch of "Halo 3" to the month of September, Microsoft is betting it will spur sales of Xbox 360 consoles, giving it a larger user base in time for the year-end holiday season that is the high tide for video game sales.

"This is going to be a critical holiday for us versus Sony, especially on the console generation side, and they don't really have an answer for 'Halo 3'," Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Game Studios, said in an interview.

"Given that, I suspect 'Halo 3' to drive a lot of Xbox 360 sales and Xbox Live memberships," Kim said. "I think at those midnight (launch) events, there are going to be a lot of people walking out with an Xbox 360 along with their copies of 'Halo 3'."