Feb 8, 2011 21:41 GMT  ·  By

One of the leading executives of 343 Industries has claimed that the team he is leading is not interested in any minor stories in the Halo universe and that its future plans are linked to creating new and complex fictional stories that are linked to Master Chief.

Frank O'Connor, who is the development director working at 343 Industries, has told the Official Xbox Magazine that, “I can tell you we’re not working on any side stories as games at the moment. There’ll certainly be more Halo fiction entering the universe, but we’ve no new games to announce right now.”

He then added some more information, although nothing too concrete, by saying, “I think that there are a lot of questions that fans of the series want answered, and we’ll certainly be in the business of answering those questions. But we would be lazy and very lacking in imagination if we didn’t inject lots of brand new questions into the universe, and enigma, mystery, and awe are at the heart of what drives the fiction.”

For the last few months, job ads have been popping up on the official 343 Industries website, most of them talking about a new Halo experience that will evolve complex level design and will require developers that are well acquainted with the in-game universe.

This suggests that the rumors of a high-definition remake for the first two Halo games are not to be believed and that Microsoft is preparing to unveil the next big step for the franchise, probably dealing with the faith of Master Chief after the end of Halo 3.

Original series developer Bungie has left its partnership with Microsoft after the launch of last year's Reach and is now working with rival publisher Activision on an exclusive deal for ten years, which involves the creation of a new franchise.