14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at 343 Industries and publisher Microsoft might not be willing to offer any sort of details on the Halo video game that’s currently in development for the Xbox One home console, but it seems that some info on its plot might be included in a new comic book.
Brian Reed is set to deliver the eighth edition of the Escalation series on July 23 of this year and the blurb for the story explains that it will follow Master Chief during unspecified mysterious effects after the end of Halo 4.
The official summary states, “The Master Chief returns in ‘The Next 72 Hours: Part 1’! After defeating the Didact, John-117 joined the crew of Infinity . . . but why did he leave? The mystery begins here.”
No other details have been offered so far, but even if the narrative is somehow connected to the much talked about Halo 5, Microsoft will probably make sure that it’s just a teaser rather than a full reveal.
It’s likely that before July 23, the company plans to deliver more information about the title and tell fans what kind of experience they will get from the Xbox One bound Halo game or what new enemies they will face.
Microsoft has talked about the game since the next-gen console was announced and a leaked plot from autumn last year said that it would feature Master Chief, who is now in possession of a mysterious data chip, as he faces new challenges and enemies.
Apparently, the antagonist is a form of Artificial Intelligence that has decided to try and eliminate all sentient life from the galaxy, with the player the only one who can control John-117 as he faces the new threat.
It seems that more information about the new Halo title will be offered during the upcoming E3 2014 event in early June.
It’s unclear whether the Halo-themed comic book will get more installments once the game launches and whether it will tell a parallel story or focus on other characters.
Microsoft has also promised that it will launch a series based on Halo exclusively on the Xbox One, which will benefit from input from Steven Spielberg, but which also lacks clear details at the moment.
The next-gen console has recently passed the 5 million sales mark, but it is still behind the PlayStation 4 from Sony, which has gone over 7 million recently.