MICROSOFT: Halo 4, 5 and 6 announced

Halo 4 has officially been announced – but that’s only the beginning.

Microsoft’s E3 press conference ended with a teaser trailer for the new title, showing Master Chief back in action – a surprise reveal that was outed by a leak earlier today.

More interestingly, Microsoft’s president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick revealed that Halo 4 would be "the first in a new trilogy", essentially confirming Halo 5 and 6.

The games are being handled by 343 Industries, Microsoft’s dedicated Halo studio. No other game details were given.

Halo 4 is due for release Christmas 2012.