14 DAY TRIAL // The Halo family gets a new member in the form of the Halo Encyclopedia, the first official reference book that explains in fine detail all the aspects of the Halo Universe. Every aspect is laid out within these pages be them characters, weapons, locations and history, forming a compendium that stretches out to cover Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo: Wars and even Halo 3: ODST.The book has 352 pages and features exclusive artworks.
The opening belongs to Frank O’Connor, the former content manager of Bungie. “I can still remember the first time I really experienced Halo…it was stepping out of the crashed escape pod and into a world that would consume my professional and creative life for the next seven years. In the following pages, you’ll find a great deal of depth and drama and data – some familiar, some new. It’s fiction, of course, but we only ever want it to feel real. Because it’s real to us. These are places and times that we want to share with you.” O’Connor is also responsible for the birth and design of the Master Chief.
Halo is Microsoft’s most successful game, one of the biggest entertainment properties ever and also one of the fastest-selling video games in history. The combined games of the Halo franchise have managed to sell over 1 billion units across the globe and create one of the biggest and most voracious game communities. Halo delivered throughout the series fast-paced first-person action with a tactical flavor and its unique community also developed a special trait, that of a split personality. The title offered a complex single player campaign but also a frantic multiplayer experience. The two sides of the game quickly developed separate fans with completely different behavior and demands.
The Halo Encyclopedia was created in full collaboration with Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries and any other party that has knowledge in the Halo Universe. In spite of the games’ popularity, a written book is a bold move from Microsoft. Many games are strongly tied in with the creation of novels, especially fantasy and sci-fi, but the majority of the active Halo community, the multiplayer troll of Halo, might not take the time to read the book. Halo Encyclopedia will be published on November 2 and will be priced at £30.