PAX marked the first big reveal of the new Halo series coming from Microsoft, confirming that another trilogy is on the way. The new Reclaimer trilogy will indeed explore more of the alien race that the series used to set the stage for the franchise universe. Those familiar with the franchise will finally have all of their questions answered, related 343’s Frank O’Connor.
Halo 4, revealed at E3 earlier this year, is the first real attempt by Microsoft to continue where Bungie left off. Halo: Reach, a critical and financial success, set the tone for the Halo franchise that expanded away from the Master Chief. 343 Industries will do its best to not only match, but surpass the abilities of a studio long regarded as a top independent in the business.
The next set of games for the universe will once again put gamers into the shoes of the Master Chief, aided by the AI, Cortana. In what is one of the most intriguing game relationships to date, 343 hopes to explore and expand upon the relationship between the two characters, something that IndustryGamers has discussed in the past.
"It's a little bit about getting closer to that character than we have in past games," said O’Connor during the PAX Halo panel. The team at 343 Industries is hoping to reignite that passion in gamers towards the Halo franchise - to remind us all that the Master Chief is a hulking mass of super space Marine like no other.
To do that, the job is with a studio that was set up by Microsoft to get the best of the best from the fan and gaming community. “From a studio and culture perspective, how do we find that deep talent that has a collaborative spirit and a craftsman approach, so that we could build a studio for the long term?” noted 343 executive producer Kiki Wolfkill.
Halo 4 is a new game, built from the ground up, and a true test of how Microsoft plans on continuing a franchise that almost single-handedly pushed the Xbox into the gaming scene.
The team is fairly confident, saying that thus far, the game “plays like Halo.” With an exuberant fanbase, a wealth of backstory, and a goodly amount of material in which to draw from for the new Reclaimer trilogy, the question still remains: “Can Microsoft continue to make Halo relevant without Bungie?”
