At Least Four Halo "Things" In The Works At Microsoft Game Studios

Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Game Studios, tells GamesIndustry.biz that, in light of the massive success of the Halo franchise, Microsoft has decided not to completely scrap all development on the series. Instead, they're going to make more games set in the Halo universe. It's a plan that sounds just crazy enough to work. Spencer says that the publisher has "more than two or three teams building Halo things right now." Some quick calculations lead us to believe that is four or more. We know that two of those are likely Ensemble Studios' Halo Wars and the Peter Jackson-led project currently known as Halo: Chronicles, but what about the other two "things"?One of those things could very well be Bungie's next project, something which may not be owned outright by Microsoft. ("Some of them we will own, some of them we won't," Spencer notes.) Whatever Bungie has planned next may be revealed within the next few weeks. The other? It may be Halo 4. It may not necessarily be a proper game at all, as Spencer says that "we have future plans to support ["scalable ventures"] which are unannounced, but we're going to do something with Halo," seemingly in the vein of new maps and software updates. We hope that, whatever, the fourth Halo-branded thing that MGS has planned, it features space, marines and guns. We're aiming low. Phil Spencer - Part One [GamesIndustry.biz]