Delayed from the original Autumn 2014 (Northern Spring) plans, the promised open beta period for Bungie's hugely anticipated Destiny has now been scheduled for July.

Word of the new timeframe came by way of publisher Activision's latest financial report, and follows the recent revelation from CEO Bobby Kotick that the game's combined development and marketing budget will be in the vicinity of US$500 million.

We don't have much more info as to what the open beta test will entail, only that it is expected to be made available to PlayStation 3 and 4 owners ahead of those on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game itself is due on September 9th, and sadly, still no word on a PC version.