According to a picture (shown below) in Bungie’s weekly update (wallpaper versions halfway down) the release date for Halo 3 is set in the fall of this year… September 25 in America, September 26 in Europe was confirmed later.
The poster will be used to advertise the upcoming Xbox 360 game soon and will be followed up with more promo posters. You can still get in the Halo 3 multiplayer beta by buying Crackdown on February 20 and beyond. Bungie mentions the beta “will not be starting next week. We’re still aiming for a Spring release, but it could be more like late Spring.”
A good nine months in advance, there’s also a Halo 3 tournament being organized for the launch day by Games in Action (sign up there).
Shock & Awe is a 4-on-4, best of 3, 256 team, single elimination tournament. You can win up to $5,000 in prizes according to Xbox360fanboy.
UPDATE: The Halo 3 beta starts on May 16 and will end on June 6, 2007. You can still get in on the beta by buying a copy of Crackdown that has Halo 3 Beta marked on the box.