Reports on the internet are letting slip that the next Halo game Reach is already complete to the point that it is fully playable.  Reach is not  just functioning as a basic game, but a fully realized first person shooter.  The game will probably be released in September of 2010.

David Ellis 1up.com’s podcast host let it slip, “Reach is playable, from beginning to end.”  Many reporters from game websites are reporting this as fact.  I ask, ‘How in the hell would David know?’  Does David have a friend from Bungie who lets him sneak in the back door at night to play new levels, or did he just think this up himself based on rumor and speculation?  We all know that Bungie and Microsoft are well ahead in development of the game.  The largest Halo game ever to be released by Bungie and probably the last.  Halo 3 ODST was complete months before release and was even complete at the showing of last years E3 09 which shocked people.  In my opinion this is what is fueling speculation that the game is already done.

Video game slueths digging around for new information about Halo Reach and its release found a tidbit on splitscreen.com video game blog. Hong-Wei David Liu a sound designer for Halo Reach at Bungie has been overheard as saying this on his own blog!

“Work here is supposed to last eight to nine months here, as I’m under a contract to last until the end of the project which may or may not be at the end of July. Knowing the company I’d be working for, however, I don’t expect them to miss their mark.”

July?  This is great stuff and all, but why would Bungie not release the game now if it is already complete?  Who says they wouldn’t!  It is very possible they may strategically release the game ahead of the purposed autumn release schedule and surprise us all.  Bungie would exit the Halo universe with a loud thunder clap handing the reigns over to MS.  They had already done this of course, but the symbolism couldn’t be refuted.  This would allow them to shift gears and focus their complete attention on Bungie super secret game projects already in the works.

Sounds good to me!