Pre-E3 last year, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates told Time magazine that not only would Master Chief be taking on The Covenant, but he'd also be battling the launch of the PlayStation 3. But now there is a good possibility that Bungie will wait until 2007 to release Halo 3.

Source: A GameStop company e-mail scanned and displayed on gaming blog Kotaku.com.

The official story: Microsoft had not responded to e-mails as of press time.

What we heard: Now that the public knows that Brangelina is expecting sometime in June, we can focus on important stuff--like the release date for Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Given that the date is under tighter lock and key than the plot to Lost, most speculation is sculpted from when we know it won't be out.

Pre-E3 last year, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates told Time magazine that not only would Master Chief be taking on The Covenant, but he'd also be battling the launch of the PlayStation 3. While others in the know scratched their heads at his comment, it took Bill a little longer to swallow his words and admit that the game would be done "when it's ready."

This obviously means that Halo 3 will be released this November, Microsoft's month of choice for gaming, right? Not only is it the optimal release date to take advantage of the holiday crunch, but it's also the time of year that previous Halo games were released, both Xboxes hit stores, and Xbox Live was launched.

Not so fast, according to a company e-mail sent to employees of GameStop. Gaming blog Kotaku.com got word from a source at GameStop that the retailer was flatly told by Microsoft that "Halo 3 will NOT be released in 2006" (emphasis in original). Kotaku posted a scan of the e-mail, whose simple layout could be easily forged. However, a well-placed mole inside the GameStop organization confirmed to GameSpot that the e-mail is indeed legitimate.

That said, GameStop.com is still listing the game as coming out on October 3, 2006. So did the guy who updates product release dates not get the memo? One possibility is that the e-mail is merely a guide to employees on how common questions should be answered, such as, "Sorry, that's for paying customers only" or "No, a middle-school ID won't let you buy M-rated games."

Of course, Microsoft has not commented on the situation, so nothing is official. But given that Microsoft execs have gone from saying that Halo 3 will be a PS3-killer to saying it will be ready when Bungie says its ready, and given that Bungie is still denying that it's working on Halo 3, pushing Halo 3 into 2007 doesn't seem so far off. Remember Halo 2's delays?

Lastly, the GameStop memo gives further validity to the current entertainment-synergy theory spun by industry-watchers, who say the game will be released in tandem with the Halo film. Studios Fox and Universal have tentatively slated the surefire blockbuster, which is being executive produced by King Kong director Peter Jackson, for summer 2007.

Bogus or not bogus?: Abstain. While a holiday 2006 release and a 360 price drop would be the perfect one-two punch to blunt the PS3 launch, Bungie is one organization that will not be rushed.

Sad news now I will need to wait probably until 2007 in order to see the new HALO 3 game in action but I will keep searching the web for news.