Still playing that game you got for free with your Halo 3 Beta invite? If that was your reason for buying Crackdown, the wait is now officially only one more month until you can engage in Bungie’s public multiplayer blastfest beta.

Multiplayer carnage time!

Microsoft Game Studios and Halo developer Bungie issued a press release today detailing more about the upcoming highly anticipated semi-public beta. The beta will be available for a mere 3 weeks, starting May 16 at 5 a.m. PDT and running through June 6 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

“Halo 3” lets gamers experience Master Chief’s greatest battle as he launches an epic mission to stop the Covenant, destroy the impending Flood threat and ultimately save mankind. […] the multiplayer beta for “Halo 3” will give anxious Xbox 360 gamers their first opportunity to get their hands on the new levels, weapons, vehicles and game types, as well as a chance to provide valuable data that Bungie will use in continued development.

In short, they thank everyone for spending money on the various ways to get a beta key so they won’t have to do their own testing.

The Mongoose

The multiplayer-only beta will include 3 maps, Snowbound, High Ground and Valhalla, which were selected to provide a mixture of various size environments for battle. A slew of new equipment will be available in the game, such as the agile Mongoose all-terrain vehicle, and deadly weapons such as the new and improved Assault Rifle, the ferocious Brute Spiker, the devastating Spartan Laser and the treacherous new Spike Grenades. If you still don’t have a beta key but would like to join, Crackdown will keep containing beta keys right until the beta starts, so no reason to panic yet.

Thanks po0, TRIGGER M4N and Studley for submitting the news from various locations!