Microsoft has today released details of a new Virgin partnership and many other Halo 4 goodies as gamers can expect a lot of action for the AAA game in the coming weeks. A tournament, extra maps and more, Halo 4 should keep gamers well occupied over the holiday season.

Press Release:

Virgin Gaming, Xbox 360 and 343 Industries are joining forces to launch the “Halo 4 Infinity Challenge” on Xbox LIVE starting 17^th December, bringing gamers the biggest and most accessible free-to-enter “Halo” tournament in the world.

Players can register for the “Halo 4 Infinity Challenge” by visiting www.halo4infinitychallenge.com. Launching on 17^th December, the free-to-enter tournament will track your personal score in War Games and the number of Spartan Ops chapters you complete on global leaderboards, giving players of different preferences and skill levels all a shot at the more than 2,800 prizes. For the War Games leaderboard winner, the grand prize will be a UNSC-themed, V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor truck designed by 343 Industries, and for the Spartan Ops winner, the grand prize will be an appearance in a future “Halo” game.

During the qualifier phase (17^th December – 10^th January), players will need to climb the ranks of the global leaderboards by competing in either the Spartan Ops or War Games leaderboard. After the qualifier phase, players will be tiered into three groups (based on their results on the qualifier phase leaderboards) and will enter the finals phase (12^th January – 19^th January).  In addition, players can also participate in Weekly Challenges found on Halo Waypoint at http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-gb/intel/challenges for a chance to win great prizes.

During the finals, the leaderboards will reset and prizes will be awarded to the top performers in each tier. While terrific prizes are available within all three tiers, the grand prizes will be offered exclusively for those that have battled their way to the top tier.

For tournament and registration information, please visit: www.halo4infinitychallenge.com or http://www.halowaypoint.com/

“HALO 4” CRIMSON MAP PACK

Comprised of three brand new multiplayer maps (Wreckage, Harvest and Shatter), the “Halo 4” Crimson Map Pack will launch on 10^th December on Xbox LIVE for 800 MS points (or at no additional charge for those that purchased the “Halo 4” Map Pass or “Halo 4” Limited Edition Game).

Timed just before the launch of the “Halo 4 Infinity Challenge,” the new map pack gives players more reason than ever to stay online and prepare for the upcoming competition by exploring these stunning new battlegrounds.

SPARTAN OPS SEASON CONTINUES IN JANUARY

 Clearing the way for the “Halo 4 Infinity Challenge” and the “Halo 4” Crimson Map Pack, Spartan Ops will go on a mid-season break starting 10^th December. During the week of 10^th December, 343 Industries will re-enter five chapters from the first half of the season into Matchmaking as a “Best of Spartan Ops” compilation. From 17^th December – 14^th January, episodes 1-5 will be re-entered into Matchmaking (one episode per week) to support the “Halo 4 Infinity Challenge,” and allow anyone who missed or wants to replay a previous chapter to easily find teammates online. (Check out http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-gb/intel/spartanops for more information.)

The second half of Spartan Ops Season One will resume in January with brand new episodes, chapters, locations and maps. Be sure to tune into the Spike TV 10^th Annual Video Game Awards, live on Spike TV, 7^th December at 2.00am UK time, for more information and an exclusive first-look at the continuation of Spartan Ops Season One.  The Spike TV Video Game Awards will simulcast on MTV 2, MTV Tr3s, Xbox LIVE, spike.com and gametrailers.com.