The new Halo 3 commercial debuted on Monday Night Football last night which grabbed the attention of rivals among the video game industry. The 60 second commercial spot from Microsoft was pretty interesting considering the game does not come out until next fall. It is as if the hype is going to be so huge for this game that advertising it a year ahead of time will build brand awareness early on. Possibly, with all the frenzy over the XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii, and the Playstation 3 the advertisers are trying to build momentum for the XBOX 360 console (developed by Microsoft and where Halo 3 can be used).

While it’s de rigeur Hollywood to show trailers for anticipated sequels a year or more in advance of their release, the strategy is foreign in the gaming world. But “Halo” is unique in the industry, having sold almost 15 million units for more than $700 million in sales, and “Halo 3″ is the last game of the trilogy.