Frank O’Connor, creative director for 343 Industries – a Microsoft division which acts as custodian to Halo affairs, has revealed to USA Today that the company has “a plan [for the franchise] that goes out at least six years”
“Eventually, it will become very apparent that there is a plan for the way the canon all ties together and the way the comic books and the novels all tie together” he said.
More specifically O’Connor is referring to the collection of comics, books, movies, action figures and most importantly games that will be added to the Halo Universe between now and 2015.
Next month will see the publication of Halo: Evolutions, which is a collection of Halo stories documenting the saga. A Halo Trilogy penned by Greg Bear, which O’Conner says will act as a forerunner to the saga involving a prehistoric civilisation that is responsible for the mysterious Halo artefacts strewn across the galaxy, will also be released next year.
A continuation to the Halo series of comics, which will be entitled, Halo: Helljumper will be out later is also currently available.
O’Conner’s announcement that Bungie’s next instalment in the Halo universe entitled Halo: Reach would be released this time next year was perhaps his most significant. He explained that Reach would be “a chronological prequel [to Halo 1], but it is not a prequel in the directions the Star Wars prequels were to the movies. It will cover events in and around the planet Reach.”
Next year will also see the Halo Waypoint channel hit Xbox Live, which will host Halo related audio, video and image material for interested users.
O’Conner was somewhat more circumspect with regard to the troubled Halo movies, which were initially to be produced by Peter Jackson and directed by South Africa’s own Niel Blomkamp, adding that “we’re being very careful to pick the right time and the right partner”.
Having sold in excess of 27 million units it should come as no surprise that Microsoft is keen to fund a lengthy continuation to the Halo franchise, something fans will be more than pleased to hear.
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