There seem to be a lot of shake-ups going on at 343 Industries right now, and the future of Halo is very much up in the air. While the Halo franchise will forge ahead, the next couple of years may look very different. Rumors have suggested that 343 may be taken off the franchise, that the Halo Infinite story-based DLC has been canceled, and that the series may even be rebooted.
While some rumors have been shot down by 343 Industries, it has made many fans wonder what the future of Halo will look like. 343's era has been controversial with the playerbase, and Halo Infinite's post-launch support has been lackluster. Major changes for the franchise seem likely, but a reboot may not be the best way to reinvigorate this classic series. Instead, all that Halo may need is for Master Chief to step aside to make way for a new Spartan protagonist.
Halo is So Much More Than Master Chief
Master Chief has been the focal point of Halo ever since the franchise began in 2001. He has been the protagonist of six different sci-fi adventures and was even the main character of Paramount+'s Halo series. He has also been the protagonist of countless novels, comics, and animated series. Master Chief is the face of the Halo franchise, but that does not mean he has to be the star of everything.
Games like Halo Reach and Halo 3: ODST showed that not every story within Halo's universe needs to follow Spartan-117. Halo: Reach put players in the shoes of Noble Six and had them follow Noble Team's desperate attempt to evacuate the planet of Reach. Halo 3: ODST gave them control of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper and had them fight against Covenant occupation. Both games told very different stories from what came before, and they are both lauded as some of the best that the franchise has to offer.
Master Chief has gone through many trials and tribulations throughout his tenure, and the galaxy is better for it. Halo would not be what it is today without him, but Halo is far more than Master Chief's story. It is the story of humanity's struggle against devastation, perseverance in the face of death, and the people who will stop at nothing to save the universe. Master Chief may be the focal point, but he would be nothing without all the surrounding characters that make up the galaxy.
343 Industries Has Struggled to Pick a Direction for Halo's Master Chief
Before Bungie went to work on Destiny, it delivered what could have been the closing chapter of Chief's story with Halo 3. The campaign ended with Master Chief entering cryonic sleep aboard a drifting piece of the Forward Unto Dawn. The human-covenant war had officially ended, and Cortana said her goodbyes to Chief as he drifted off to sleep. While it left the door open for new adventures, it felt like a fitting end to the story that Bungie wanted to tell.
Halo 3 ended up only being the end of the first Halo trilogy, and 343 Industries would attempt to continue the story with its Reclaimer Saga. This was supposed to mark a new beginning for the franchise, but the saga feels disjointed so far, and Halo could use a reset. Each game seems quite different from the last, and it feels like 343 Industries has not really nailed down what it wants to do with the franchise.
Halo 4 kicked off this new saga by introducing new enemies and gameplay mechanics, as well as delving further into the Forerunner mythos. Halo 5: Guardians expanded upon these plot threads, set up an antagonistic Cortana, and painted Chief as more of a rogue soldier. Halo Infinite seemingly threw out the new enemies, the new concepts, and the antagonistic Cortana for a classic Chief versus Covenant story. All of these changes have made the Reclaimer Saga feel like it lacks direction, and has led to a pretty controversial era for the franchise.
It is Time for a New Protagonist to Take the Reins of the Halo Franchise After Halo Infinite
There comes a time in every franchise's life when it needs to redefine itself to ensure it has a future, and it may be time for Halo to do that. These last couple of years seem to lack direction, and it feels like 343 Industries' work on Halo campaigns is not appeasing. While the franchise does not need to go for a full reboot, putting someone new at the center of the story could help change the franchise for the better.
New protagonists give the writers virtually limitless freedom to tell the story that they want to tell. 343 Industries is currently locked down by the pre-established lore and expansive history of Master Chief, and they can only do so much with the character. Making large changes like what Paramount+'s Halo series did will prove controversial, and not making enough changes can make a franchise feel stagnant and stuck in the past. A new protagonist lets 343 Industries start fresh, tell a new story, and hopefully redefine what the series can be.
Halo: Reach and Halo 3: ODST showed that there is a hunger for Halo stories that do not follow Chief. Halo: Reach is even often regarded as one of the best Halo games and campaigns around. While Chief does not have to die, these games showed that Halo works without him. It would feel like a missed opportunity not to explore new protagonists again, and now may be the best time for it.
Introducing a new protagonist does not instantly fix a franchise, but it can help breathe new life into it. It gives the studio so much new story potential and would allow 343 Industries to expand the franchise in whole new ways. It may be exactly what Halo needs in the wake of all the controversy. If done well, then it could help set the franchise on the right course, and maybe help cement Halo as the premiere Xbox franchise that it once was.
Halo Infinite is available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.