Microsoft to expand Halo franchise further

Microsoft Game Studios has announced intentions to further expand the Halo franchise in the future, including taking it into non-game related media.

"We tend to view the franchise side of Halo as an entertainment property, and something that we hope to expand in many different directions: both through additional genres of gaming and additional ways to tell the story that may not be game-related at all," said Jason Pace head of the Halo franchise, told Eurogamer.

Jason is also working as Lead Producer on the new Halo Wars console RTS at the moment – another of Microsoft’s attempts to further expand Bungie’s massively successful and popular franchise. He’s also working on the upcoming Halo: ODST standalone expansion to the game too.

“I think it's fair to say we're always looking for new opportunities, new genres to tell the story in. And whenever we find a great fit we'll pursue it."

Pressed about other Halo projects Jason refused to comment, but nor did he outright deny that Peter Jackson’s Halo project has been abandoned. Jackson’s secret project was announced back in 2006 and has been through various stages of rumoured neglect ever since.

Halo Wars is the next confirmed expansion for the series, with a demo set for February 5th and the full release on February 27th – the day after my birthday. Just in case you were wondering.

Are you still excited about the Halo franchise, or do you think the whole thing is massively over-hyped and tired? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.