Halo 4 development in ‘crunch’ stage

Halo 4 is expected to release in 2012, although the actual shipping date hasn't yet been announced.

While Halo franchise manager Frank O'Connor promised the official released date will be rolled out "in the not-too-crazy-future", he also gave a progress update on the game's development.

In the most recent bulletin, on Halo Waypoint, O'Connor said they were in the"crunch" stage of development.

"We're finishing levels.  Improving perf. Finishing gameplay. Finishing UI," he said.

"The Campaign is playable from beginning to end. Cinematics are being fully realized," he added.  "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."

In short, it's "crunchy".

343 Industries released the first Halo 4 video highlighting some of the game's new features and giving fans a first look at the highly anticipated action.  In-game action of Halo 4 did raise some doubts among fans of the franchise, particularly surrounding the new "perk" system.