In a few months, it'll be a whole two years since Bungie worked out a deal to go independent again. While Bungie retains close ties to Microsoft (and indeed Microsoft has a minority stake in Bungie), there's no doubt that the folks at the developer would like to work on some projects other than Halo, which remains a Microsoft property. Today, a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed what could potentially be the new name of a Halo dedicated studio within Microsoft Game Studios.
343 Industries certainly sounds generic enough, like some sort of factory name, but fans of the Halo franchise know that the number is tied to 343 Guilty Spark, a comical (and deadly) artificial intelligence built by the Forerunner race; 343 ultimately wants to activate the Halo rings to destroy all life.
Although the filing simply mentions "computer programs, namely, game software for use on computers and video," it's not likely "343 Industries" is the name of a game; it's far more likely to be used as a label for a studio. As GameSpot points out, Microsoft's current team dedicated to the Halo franchise doesn't have a label at the moment and has recruited some high profile staff, including former Kojima Productions producer Ryan Payton and Bungie alum Frank O'Connor. Microsoft isn't confirming the news just yet, however. "We have nothing to announce at this time," a spokesperson said.
As for Bungie, the developer is still working on Halo installments, including this fall's Halo 3: ODST and next year's Halo: Reach.
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