14 DAY TRIAL // The franchise development director of Halo 4 developer 343 Industries, Frank O'Connor, has thanked the community of Halo fans for their loyalty and stressed just how important they were in the creation of Halo 4 and what part they'll play in the future installments in the series.
Halo 4 was made by rookie studio 343 Industries who took over from Bungie, the company behind the extremely popular shooter franchise.
While some fans had doubts on 343's creation, Halo 4 impressed pretty much all of them and Frank O'Connor, the man in charge of the franchise is quite thankful for the huge number of fans.
"The most important aspect of our success, and our efforts now and in the future, has been this community – a demanding, imaginative, engaged, vocal, varied and intelligent swarm of personalities, groups and individuals, each with subtly to radically different interests in this vast and varied universe we’re charged with," he said on the Halo Waypoint blog.
According to O'Connor, fans should have a voice in any game's development as they're the ones paying for the final product.
"That isn’t lip service, nor is it pandering. You guys pay for the privilege of playing our game, and you have every right to have a voice in its development."
The Halo boss, however, also notes that the studio can't please every single fan but that he does trust the overall feedback from the community.
"It may not have ended up precisely the way you imagined – there are simply too many voices and perspectives to make all of the people happy, all of the time – but we think of the community as a direct and democratic extension of the team and, indeed, of the development process. A litmus test, a pH strip and a sounding board for ideas and innovations, you are the tension between the need for change and evolution, and the necessity of inertia."
O'Connor also highlights that he's quite excited about the future of the Halo franchise and promises that fans will play a role in it.
"I’m more excited about the future than the past. Excited about what this team is already working on. Excited about what this team is capable of. And excited about the future of Halo. A future we want you to be a part of. A future we’re building for you."
As of right now, 343 is working on new content for Halo 4 as well as on the next installments in the series, although nothing official has been announced.