They’re not predicting the biblical end of the world; success hasn’t made them that arrogant. On the Bungie main site there’s now a countdown to…. something. As I’m writing this the countdown is currently at twelve minutes. With all the teasers having hinted at a new Halo title, everyone’s wondering if it’ll be an announcement of Halo 4 (which was announced a year three years ago today).

It could also be the squad-based shooter, the MMO that might have been canned with the closure of Ensemble, or a rumored RPG title.

The countdown site gives no real hints as to what it could be. A red banner displays odd messages like “FInal Notice: Bill Past Due” and “Obey Posted Limits”. Could it be something nobody expects? A warthog-based racing title?

Update: The countdown has expired. There’s now a ‘teaser trailer’ for what they list as a current project. It shows a futuristic city from the view of several security cameras. A rain of drop pods descends from the sky. The camera cuts out and when it cuts back in things are predictably smashed up. Then a single pod descends and the image cuts out again. It flashes “please remain calm”, then Halo 3 and “prepare to drop”. It seems likely that it’s going to be an expansion pack.