Halo 4 - Release

Release

Halo 4 was released worldwide on November 6, 2012, with the exception of Japan where the game was released on November 8, 2012. On February 5, 2013, a digital version of the game was released via the Xbox Live Games on Demand service. Prior to the release of the game, Microsoft Studios Vice President, Phil Spencer, stated that the Halo franchise is the "most important entertainment product in the company" and that Halo 4 is the most expensive game that Microsoft has made. It is available in two separate retail versions, branded as "Standard" and "Limited" editions, The Limited Edition includes digital items for Xbox 360 avatars and in-game Spartan-IVs, as well as access to future downloadable content in the form of three competitive multiplayer map packs, containing a total of nine maps. It also includes a 90-minute extended version of the live action digital series, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn and a UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet. At launch, two Specializations were available to all players; only owners of the Halo 4 Limited Edition had access to all eight Specializations. However, 343 Industries later granted access to players, in certain countries, who participated in an online multiplayer match prior to November 20, 2012. For the remaining players, the Specializations will be gradually unlocked in the months following launch.

On July 14, 2012, at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International, Microsoft announced the release of the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 4 console bundle that would launch on November 6, 2012. The bundle features two custom designed controllers, a standard edition of Halo 4, a wired headset, exclusive downloadable content and a Halo 4-themed Xbox 360 containing a 320GB hard drive. It was also announced that Microsoft would be releasing a standalone Xbox 360 Halo 4 Limited Edition wireless controller featuring a different design to the one included in the console bundle. 343 Industries and Microsoft also created a Halo 4 art book, titled Awakening: The Art of Halo 4; it was published by Titan Books and released on November 6, 2012. The book contains a collection of concept art and sketches accompanied by commentary from the artists at 343 Industries. A limited edition version of the book was also released with only a thousand copies available worldwide.

On October 12, 2012, Microsoft reported that their security teams and law enforcement were investigating the possibility of Halo 4 content being leaked on the internet. On October 13, 2012, Jessica Shea, Community Manager at 343 Industries, warned fans to be wary of Halo 4 spoilers that have been posted on the internet. On October 13, 2012, at New York Comic Con, Frank O'Connor stated that leaks of the game and footage won't have any impact on how the game is released or marketed and that piracy of high-profile games is sort of inevitable.

On October 31, 2012, Microsoft and government-owned organization Liechtenstein Marketing transformed the countryside of Liechtenstein for a special live action event for fans and members of the press. The Gutenberg Castle was transformed into a military fortification where guests tried out Halo 4 for the first time. A nearby countryside had a United Nations Space Command military camp installed and Balzers Quarry was transformed into a battleground where fifteen actors played out a two hour long adventure.

Over ten thousand shops across forty countries opened for the midnight launch of Halo 4. On the evening before the release of the game, a fifty foot diameter illuminated Didact glyph was flown by a helicopter over the River Thames in London, from the Greenwich Peninsula to Tower Bridge. The glyph was created by a team of over fifty designers, engineers and fabricators and took approximately eight weeks to design and construct.

Following the release of the game, New Zealand censors declared many copies of Halo 4 illegal, after deciding to label it with an R13 rating, restricting it to buyers aged 13 and over. Many copies of the game had already gone on sale with an unrestricted M certificate, but these copies are in breach of the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993.