Halo 4 Won't Have Public Beta, Release Date Still Slated For 2012

Before the release of Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, gamers were able to try out the multiplayer modes through public beta tests. 343 Industries says that they won't be continuing this tradition with Halo 4, their first contribution to the series.

"While we are testing Halo 4 code, gameplay, and systems at significant scale to get excellent data, input, and feedback, we are focused on polishing and shipping our experience for the duration of the year, and splitting resources to manage and build a beta is not on our schedule," the development team said in a community Q&A.

343 Industries added that they've actually completed a significant portion of the game on the single-player side. They just need to polish up everything. No mention of the multiplayer, which leads me to believe it isn't as far along.

"We’re finishing levels. Improving perf. Finishing gameplay. Finishing UI. The Campaign is playable from beginning to end. Cinematics are being fully realized. Music is composed, final orchestra sessions are booked. Some levels are graphically polished and beautiful, others waiting their turn in the schedule. Testing and polishing of systems continues."

If you're curious how the Halo 4's coming along, check out the first screenshots and ViDoc. Elsewhere in the Q&A, 343 says that the release date will be announced "in the not-too-crazy-distant future."