Halo 7, 8, 9 Websites Purchased by Microsoft

Microsoft has purchased domains related to Halo 7, Halo 8 and Halo 9. Registered by internet brand protection company MarkMonitor, Microsoft acquired Halo7.net, Halo7.org, Halo8.org, Halo 9.net and Halo9.org within the past 48 hours.

The domains were registered by DNStination, Inc., a service administered by MarkMonitor. MarkMonitor lists Microsoft as a “strategic alliance” on its official site and has worked to register Microsoft domains in the past.

Microsoft has previously announced that the upcoming Halo 4 will begin a series of three games known as the Reclaimer Trilogy. While that trilogy will presumably include Halo 4, 5 and 6, this is the first hint that Microsoft could already be actively planning for games beyond that. Just recently, a 343 Industries job listing suggested a Halo game is already in the works for next-gen consoles.

This is the second high-profile domain registration by Microsoft in recent months, following a series of Xbox 8 domains the company secured back in July. It’s likely that Microsoft is simply protecting its brand by registering these new Halo domains, though it's worth noting that Microsoft doesn't own Halo.com and only acquired Halo4.com after the game's E3 2011 announcement. We’ve reached out for comment just in case.

For now, the only future Halo game announced is Halo 4, which will hit stores on November 6th. For much more, check out our Halo 4 wiki guide and information on Halo 4’s changes to Capture the Flag announced at PAX.

Source: Fusible

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

THQ Registers Saints Row, 1666 Domains

THQ has registered multiple new websites related to upcoming titles, including the next Saints Row and its mysterious 1666 project. The Saints Row domains include EnterTheDominatrix.com and IAmSaintsRow.com, while 1666 domains include 1666Amsterdam.com and 1666TheGame.com.

Enter the Dominatrix refers to the Saints Row: The Third expansion that THQ announced earlier this year. Since its announcement, the expansion later transitioned into part of Saints Row 4. In the past, former THQ president Danny Bilson commented that Saints Row 4 would be wilder than Saints Row: The Third.

1666, meanwhile, was referenced in a THQ trademark back in March. While no details are available, many have speculated that 1666 refers to the Great Fire of London, which occurred that year. The Amsterdam domain adds additional support to the theory that the game takes place in Europe, and 1666TheGame appears to confirm that 1666 will indeed be the game’s title.

This is all speculation for now, but we’ve reached out to THQ for comment on the domains. THQ’s confirmed release slate for 2012 currently includes Darksiders II in August and WWE 13 in October. The company has several titles planned for 2013 including Company of Heroes 2, Metro Last Light and South Park: The Stick of Truth. THQ will also publish Homefront 2, which is currently in development by Crytek.

Thanks to Kotaku for the heads up.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com