Bungie Plays it Safe

Is it just me or was the recent revelation that Bungie Studios is rumoured to be announcing a Halo prequel very disappointing? Are gamers really ready for another installment with Halo 3 still fresh in our minds? Sure the Halo franchise has been great ride. I’ll be the first to admit I played and won them all within 24 hours of their release dates. But I can’t help but wish that Bungie, newly separated from Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), would put their immense talent into developing a new intellectual property. Something we have never seen before. They are basically the forefathers of the modern day first person shooter on consoles. With so much creative talent one can only imagine what other pet projects they have on the backburner or filed away in a desk somewhere.

With that being said, what has led to this decision to retread old ground?

Is Bungie continuing to work on the Halo franchise because the fans are demanding it? Do you, as a gamer, want another adventure with Master Chief? For me the answer is no. I think Bungie did a good job of wrapping up the story (if you want to call it that) and left the franchise on a high note with Halo 3. The multiplayer was amazing and still ranks in the top 3 most played games on Xbox Live month after month. Truthfully, I’m just not sure there are many new directions to take this franchise…and I fear it will only lead to disappointment in the future.

Maybe it’s part of the deal signed with Microsoft when they struck out to be independent. Perhaps they were only permitted to distance themselves from MGS if they promised to continue developing games exclusively for the Xbox 360 for a certain number of years. That would certainly make sense for a company like Microsoft strictly from a business perspective. In effect, Bungie would be unable to develop games for rivals Nintendo or Sony. The console wars continue…unless the unthinkable happens to Xbox 360 fanboys and the game is announced for multiple platforms (retribution at hand for Sony fans perhaps?)

Heck, it may just be that Bungie loves Master Chief and the Halo universe so much that they are eager to visit it again. For some reason, I think this may not be the case. They have worked on Halo games now for the better part of a decade. It’s like eating macaroni and cheese every day. Sure you love mac and cheese, but on the one day you are offered the chance for a hamburger wouldn’t you take it?  I don’t think Bungie was allowed to reach for that burger…at least not yet.

Regardless of the reasons a new Halo game is on the way. And that only leaves one question remaining…are you happy about the upcoming game that is essentially Halo 4? Is this something you wished for every time you saw a falling star? You know what I think already. Let’s hear what you have to say.

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