Microsoft today announced that the highly anticipated Halo 3 has been released to manufacturing. The final chapter in the Halo trilogy, Halo 3 is an Xbox 360 exclusive that has been three years in the making by Bungie Studios.

Set to be released worldwide beginning the 25th of September, Halo 3 is expected to break day one entertainment sales records. It already holds the title of the fastest preordered game in history, exceeding one million presales in North America alone.

“This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios,” said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. “This is the game we’ve always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25.”

Halo 2 generated a record $125 million in sales within the first 24 hours when it went on sale in November 2004. It is still the most played game on Xbox Live, with gamers having logged almost 1 billion hours of online gaming to date.

Prepare to step into the shoes of Master Chief once again as he saves humankind. You know you want to.