“If we lose our way with Halo, we lose our way with Xbox”- Microsoft

Microsoft Game Studios boss Phil Spencer thinks the Halo franchise is the most important thing to them, and that the Xbox brand would lose its way if the franchise met the same fate.

“If we lose our way with Halo, we lose our way with Xbox, because Halo and the importance of games like CoD and other shooters, that state of the art needs to continue to move forward, and our team at 343 need to move forward with that. That’s always going to be one of our success criteria,” Spencer said to OXM UK.

“The good thing about 343 is that they’ve had the time, through the dev of Reach, working on getting the map packs out, and getting to know the infrastructure and the build systems and everything about Halo.

“They’ve also brought in their own talent and their own view so that they can put their own stamp on the franchise,” he added. All in all, 343 are “in a position to take over the franchise without missing a beat.”

Combat Evolved Anniversary releases in November, and Halo 4 releases next year.