Microsoft’s E3 2017 press conference has officially ended and it’s left many a bit confused as the big event ended on the third party exclusive title Anthem. While Bioware’s newest title is certainly the best in the show so far, one curious omission was from the people at 343 Industries. In no capacity was the Halo series there today, which was exceptionally puzzling given how closely this franchise is associated with Microsoft. While there were rumors of this science fiction action game appearing, we were left with nothing more than the knowledge that Halo Wars 2 will receive a 4K update.
@BotBomBorello @HiddenXperia @HaloFollowerCom @LateNightHalo @Greenskull @ChiefCanuck @atomicjorge Fakey McFakeskins tell me oh, how does your bogus “game leak” grow? With silver bells and photoshopped cockleshells. FAKE NEWS! #MHGA!
A lot of this is due to developer 343 Industries staying rather quiet on the subject, which only helped fuel the fires of speculation and gossip. Given the company haven’t produced a Halo game in over two years, many speculated that it was possible we’d see a Halo 6. Yet this was quickly cut down by Halo Community Manager Brian Jarrard who stated that “[W]e’ll have a little something at E3 but it’s not related to the next major entry in the franchise.” However, thanks to a fake tweet sent out on June 7, many believed that there was a new entry in the series on the way. This was quickly dismissed by 343 Industries Frank O’Connor who called the tweet in question “Fake News.”
Given Microsoft’s desperate need for big, system selling exclusives the lack of Halo was utterly disappointing. Currently, the recently unveiled Xbox One X only has a handful of big Xbox only games, with many of their exclusives simply being indie games or titles developed by smaller studios. Given they are trying to sell their new system for $499, the absence of Master Chief or any of his Spartan allies feels like a missed opportunity for the company. To not have your biggest and undoubtedly most recognized brand not appear outside of a simple update will certainly dampen the launch for this system.
There is still time for 343 Industries to unveil a new title in this famed series, the lack of any E3 news has us concerned for the Xbox One X’s launch.
Update – June 12
It turns out that Microsoft did, in fact, have an announcement regarding the Halo series, as a new expansion titled “Awakening the Darkness” is set to release this fall for Halo Wars 2. Here are the full details on that reveal along with the new trailer for this DLC.
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The E3 2017 Microsoft Conference Featured Zero ‘Halo’ Games