During the 2018 E3 Microsoft Press conference, the company announced that a new Halo game is on the way.
Titled Halo Infinite, this game is being developed by 343 Industries and coming to Xbox. It was unclear if this is an Xbox One title or potentially, a game for whatever the next Xbox console might be. A release date, or even a release year, was not given.
With the announcement, Microsoft dropped a flashy new trailer too. In it, the camera appears to pan over a new landscape, filled with strange alien animals and an empty, but peaceful, environment. Towards the end, three marines are shown slowly walking up a hill. Then, the camera pans back revealing the Master Chief helmet which appears to be held in the hand of the Master Chief himself. You can view the trailer below.
The trailer ends with a screen that says the game is powered by the SlipSpace Engine and Master Chief inserting something into the back of his helmet.
The last we saw of a mainline Halo was Halo 5: Guardians which released in 2015. This game, like its predecessor, was developed by 343 Industries, the studio that took over the property following Bungie’s departure from the series. 343 Industries is a Microsoft first-party studio and has been such since its creation in 2007. In fact, this studio was created specifically to develop new entries in the series, hence the reference to Guilty Spark 343.
This entry in the franchise was met with commercial success and critical acclaim. It’s multiplayer was praised for innovation but its single player was perhaps received more negatively than previous titles. The campaign introduced a new character, Spartan Locke, who players controlled for 12 of the game’s 15 missions–you only play as Master Chief in three levels. While Locke wasn’t necessarily met with distaste, his use in the game certainly was. Simply put, players and critics wanted more Master Chief.
While Halo 5: Guardians was the last mainline entry into the series, 343 Industries was involved in the development of last year’s Halo Wars 2, which saw the series return to a tactical RPG-style of gameplay, last seen in Halo Wars. Before Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Wars 2, Halo 4 was released and served as 343 Industries’ first mainline entry in the franchise. It also served as the starting point of a new trilogy of games.
For anyone wishing to catch up on on what they’ve missed in the series, or take a stroll down memory lane, the Master Chief Collection is available to purchase today.
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