Last year Bungie waved goodbye to Master Chief and went out on a high with the release of Halo: Reach, the sixth title in the franchise. While Bungie have been hard at work on an original, multi-platform IP to be published by Activision-Blizzard, the torch has been passed to Microsoft Game Studios offshoot 343 Industries to 'finish the fight'. At PAX Prime 2011, the key director's and producers working on the title took to the stage to talk about what series fans can expect from the newly labelled "Reclaimer Trilogy", beginning with Halo 4.

Although the story behind Halo 4 is a closely guarded secret at present, it has been confirmed that it will directly continue on from the story of Halo 3. The story will focus on the relationship between the Chief and Cortana as they explore a mysterious new planet of the Forerunner civilization with "incredible grandeur and scope". The team intend to flesh out the story between the duo and utilise Cortana in "an important role in [Master Chief's] development".

On a positive note, the overly nimble Chief we saw in the Halo 4 debut trailer will not be the final design. In fact, according to marketing director Kenneh Scott, the team are on "the fourth iteration of his look at the moment". So as to not disappoint fans they need to "sell the fantasy that Master Chief is an 800-pound hero that is part tank, part jet fighter".


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The big question is how the game will play in the hands of 343. "Well, it plays like Halo" according to creative director Josh Holmes. That said, Holmes acknowledged the importance in 'taking risks and evolving the feel of gameplay'. Holmes justified that it was a question of balance to introduce new elements, to keep the game fresh, while maintaining that distinctly Halo feel to the game so as to not upset longtime fans. "It's something that we will continue to wrestle with until the game launches," Holmes stated. To that extent the game has experimented with numerous additions, according to franchise director Frank O'Connor but the team chose not to include them because they didn't feel suited to the Halo universe.

"They were awesome, but they weren't Halo awesome"

On the multiplayer front, the team were tightlipped but stated they would be working to maintain a balance between casual and competitive players. Sadly, O'Connor sadly denied rumours that access codes for the Halo 4 multiplayer beta would be packaged with copies of the studio's first game, Halo: Anniversary.

Look for Halo: Anniversary to hit shelves on November 15.

Via GameSpot, video via Joystiq