o generate publicity for its upcoming release of the hotly anticipated video game Halo 3, Microsoft Corp. asked Venice, CA-based Zed Ink Inc. to create a beta preview launch called Halowood. The resulting event not only drew a huge Hollywood crowd, it kept the notoriously fickle glitterati channeling their inner Master Chief, the game’s battle-suited hero, all night long.

Aiming at higher visibility for the third installment of the already-popular game franchise, Microsoft wanted to create buzz in the press by getting well-known Tinseltown names to connect with the game’s futuristic hero in his latest adventure.

As guests entered, they were immersed in the Halo environment, including a large projection of Master Chief standing in the game’s landscape. Dioramas throughout the venue mimicked desert and forest scenery from the game’s battlefields, while audio from Halo’s soundtrack added a sense of drama to the experience. Toward the back of the soundstage were 32 gaming consoles where guests could play one another or join an online beta-test community. Gamers sat in military aircraft-style chairs or enjoyed culinary rations off mess-kit trays.

After getting up close and personal with the new game, guests stepped into Plexiglas rooms where they taped testimonials about their Halo 3 experience.

Six weeks before the event, Microsoft sent 500 invitations to its target audience of Hollywood trendsetters, hoping for 300 positive R.S.V.P.s. But for Halowood, 400 studio executives, artists, DJs, and A- and B-list celebrities showed up, arriving unfashionably on time and staying all night long.

The Halowood buzz bled out into the media via cable’s E! Network, print media, and influential blogs. Following the game’s launch later that year, Halo 3 became the fastest- and best-selling video game ever, grossing $170 million in the first 24 hours, and leading to 40 million hours of live Xbox game play within a single week of the release.e