Prepare to drop - Bungie confirms Reach release date and dishes up the facts about the "record-shattering" demand for the recent multiplayer beta.

Microsoft and Bungie have officially pinned a release date on Halo: Reach, which will launch worldwide “starting” September 14, 2010 (and Japan on Sept. 15). Let's assume we’ll get it on the same day until Microsoft tells us otherwise.

In case you've been living on the moon for the last few months, the Halo: Reach beta has just come to an end. Bungie has said that it was played by over 2.7 million people played more than 13 million games, logging over 16 million hours of gameplay.

“Halo: Reach is the culmination of a decade of Halo, a franchise that has become a global entertainment and pop-culture touchstone," said Phil Spencer, Corporate VP of Microsoft Game Studios. "Just as Halo: Combat Evolved catalysed the success of the original Xbox to define a decade of entertainment, Halo: Reach will push the boundaries for what's possible in video games and help make 2010 the biggest year in Xbox history."

September 14th then. See you there.