Quartermann: First Info on Bungie's Next Halo? Plus Rockstar's Future Games

After shipping last fall's blockbusting Halo 3, revered developer Bungie stunned the world by announcing plans to liberate itself from Microsoft's ownership. Allegedly, that path to freedom requires that they develop a few more titles for Microsoft, and 1UP has heard rumblings that the first one will be a Halo spin-off due in late 2009. 1UP's spies tell to expect a third-person action/adventure shooter hybrid that takes place before the original Halo, chronicling early skirmishes between the ODST troops and the Covenant. This may or may not be the oft-mentioned "Peter Jackson Halo Project" -- though apparently Microsoft is hiring a seperate team for that -- but WETA is definitely involved in some capacity. Look for a massive reveal around the time Gears of War 2 ships this fall...

Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Revolver 2 are headed to both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as is the previously PS3-only gumshoe adventure L.A. Noire. Also, a massively multiplayer extension of the GTA universe is in the early stages of development.