Halo 2 To Have Vista-Exclusive Windows Version

Microsoft has announced that Bungie's acclaimed first-person shooter Halo 2, previously an Xbox exclusive title, will debut for PCs exclusively on its Windows Vista operating system, thanks to development by a Microsoft Game Studios team in partnership with Bungie Studios.

A PC version of Halo debuted in 2003 for multiple versions of Windows. But, being created solely for Windows Vista, Halo 2 will offer gamers both the single-player campaign and multiplayer experience of the original, as well as the additional maps offered in the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack.

Gamers will also have the opportunity to build, create and customize their own multiplayer levels for the PC version of Halo 2, something not possible on the Xbox version of the title.

A Microsoft statement accompanying the announcement also revealed new statistics on Bungie's popular franchise. To date, the Halo franchise has sold more than 14.5 million games worldwide with over 600 million hours of multiplayer action logged across Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service.

In addition, the release updated that Halo 2 has now sold more than 7.3 million units worldwide for the Xbox platform. Bungie is currently believed to be working on Halo 3 for the Xbox 360, once rumored to be due for release in 2006, thanks to comments from Microsoft's Bill Gates, but neither screenshots nor concrete release plans have yet appeared for the game.