Master Chief's Changed Look in Halo 4 Is Motivated by Story

Next year's Halo 4 will sport a change of look for the main character of the series, Master Chief, which is motivated by the story of the game, as well as the narrative of the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition.

The legions of Halo fans were truly surprised to hear at E3 2011 that their beloved franchise will see the launch of a brand new trilogy of games, which is going to be kicked off by Halo 4 next year.

The announcement was accompanied by a teaser trailer, depicting the protagonist of the series, Master Chief, alongside his long time partner, Cortana, witnessing a massive explosion on their ship.

Eagle-eyed viewers immediately noticed that Master Chief was sporting a modified armor, not just in terms of looks, but also in terms of powers, with built-in jet boosters that allow him to charge around the environment.

As you can imagine, fans immediately began to speculate on how these things will affect the series, and why such changes were even made to the tried and true Halo recipe.

The developer of Halo 4, 343 Industries, has now confirmed through the voice of Frank O'Connor, its creative director, that the change in demeanor for Master Chief, as well as the introduction of a voice for the character, will be motivated by the story.

"There's some story behind his new look," explained O'Connor during an E3 interview with IGN. "There are specific reasons why he looks the way he does and why some of his behaviours have changed. We'll see in good time."

O'Connor hints that quite a lot of things have changed after the events in Halo 3, so fans should definitely check out the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition later this year, which, alongside the classic story from the first Halo, features glimpses into the events leading up to the start of Halo 4.