A Bungie with business sense would make Halo 4 and 5 and...

by Conrad Quilty-Harper on Jul 28th 2006 7:45AM

Recently there have been some rumblings that Bungie won't make another Halo game after Halo 3 which appear to be centered around a statement that Marty O'Donnell made in an interview with the BBC. In this interview, Marty says, "We all want Halo to be the great ending to an epic trilogy. We look at what Peter Jackson did with the Lord of the Rings films - which each film bettering the previous one and that is what we are aiming for." Does that mean we won't be seeing another Halo game in the future? To people who understand that making video games is a business, the rumors (which are already half-disproved) that Bungie would end the Halo franchise anytime soon are ridiculous.

The first two Halo games combined have sold 14.3 million units. That puts the Halo franchise within the top 30 best-selling game franchises of all time. Without Halo, Microsoft might as well not have bothered with the Xbox; Halo and Halo 2 sold more units than the next six best selling games on the Xbox combined (if you're wondering, these games are Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Fable, GTA: Double Pack, Project Gotham Racing, and Need for Speed: Underground 2). With a Halo movie on the way, and the facts that Halo 2 sold more units than the first and is still the #1 game played on Xbox Live under Bungie's belt, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the Halo franchise is increasing in popularity.

The bottom line is that Bungie and Microsoft would have to be stupid to end their most lucrative franchise ever after #3. We don't claim to have any insider information, we don't dispute Marty's statement and we don't deny the possibility that Bungie will create new franchises, but based on pure business logic we'd expect to see at least another two games based on the Halo universe. From a business perspective, for Bungie to dump the Halo franchise after 3 would be sheer stupidity.

[Source for sales figures, Image from 1001 Fonts]

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Reader Comments (54)

No chance Halo 3 is the last one. Maybe the last with this story line, but ending it here would be like saying no to a naked Rachel McAdams holding two bags of money, a case of scotch, and a PS3 with a copy of God of War 3 in it. It just wouldn't happen.

The same camp would've said that Blizzard would make Warcraft 4 after Warcraft 3 came out. Instead they come up with World of Warcraft.

Conclusion: they don't have to continue the exact franchaise to make more money. All they need to do is make something even better.

And besides, Halo as it currently stands doesn't exactly lend itself into the Live Anywhere business model.

I never realized that people think that each Lord of The Rings film "bettered the previous one". It is one story, one movie, split into 3 parts, just like the books. Stupid comparison IMHO.

What a moron. Bungie never said anything about never making another game based in the Halo universe. All they said was that Halo 3 ends the story that Halo 1 began.

Are you a highschool dropout or something?

Why is this even a story? It has been stated on Bungie's website that Halo 3 will end THIS STORY ARC. Bungie has never said "No more Halo after Halo 3." They'll probably make another one after they take a break from Halo and work on a new IP. If they make an IP hotter than Halo, maybe we won't get a new Halo for a while. That's a separate discussion though...

This is a story because several other large gaming sites have picked up a rumor-filled article suggesting that Bungie won't be making another Halo game. We're merely trying to debunk this rumor.

How do I give conrad a star. the "Why is this a story?" and "this isnt news" arguments are pretty lame. Just dont read the post if you dont care, just as I dont read the WoW posts or Wii news.

is this the same website that (somewhat frequently) rants about unimaginative dev companies pumping out sequel after sequel just to turn a profit?

prediction: Next-Next Halo will be in Q4 2010. Halo 3 Q4 2007. So 3 yrs after halo 3 comes out, and 5th yr of life for the 360. Assuming the 360 will sell well and going on a 6 yr life-cycle. Q4 2009 earliest.

farfar: sure, which is why those sequels have to be imaginative. I think we can all clearly see a distinction between Metal Gear Solid 4 versus Madden 2006, no? The question of sequels in the video game industry is much larger than "they're bad" (some of the best games of all time have been sequels).

Same comment here: Halo 3 will be the end of the story of the Master Chief. There are plenty of stories within the universe though. Hell, maybe they'll remake Marathon and officially tie it into the same universe.

Frankly, I just hope they *finally* finish Pimps at Sea. That thing's been in development longer than Duke Nukem Forever :)

god almighty Halo was so over rated. ok not Halo 1, when that came out, nothing else like it.. brilliant.. but halo 2 was painful to play.

lets hope 3 delivers..

Sure, Halo will continue. But Bungie can't be a one trick pony... they know they have to create new IP because Halo won't just remain the "top game" for decades or something. So after Halo 3 they will be trying to come with new IP (intellectual property) and perhaps down the line a Halo 4, or more likely a new game set in the Halo universe, but not quite Halo style will be released.

Maybe they won't. Bungie made one of the greatest PC games of all time "Myth", that's what Halo was originally supposed to be like. MS bought them on those merits way before Halo came out...so maybe they know something we don't...I know it's kind of strange isn't it? A company that publishes the game knowing more than us?

Everyone complains about rampant sequelism, yet they aren't willing to stomach the actual solution...don't let a series run on ad infinitum. I would rather see a spectacular end to Halo 3 than an ever sustainable franchise like Final Fantasy or Mega Man.

There's a flaw in that logic, most people would now buy any game put out by Bungie! To quote their FAQ:

Q

Is this the last ever Halo game?
A

It is the conclusion to this story arc.

"Halo and Halo 2 sold more units than the next six best selling games on the Xbox combined..."

If Halo were never created, something else would've taken its place. People would've latched onto another FPS or adventure game, hopefully one not quite as mediocre as either of the Halo games have been. Kudos to Bungie for moving on.

One thing we're forgetting here.. the human element.

The company Bungie is the not the developer... the people who work at Bungie are.

People need new challenges and want to stretch themselves in new ways.

I'm sure the world of Halo will be revisted; either in a different genre (maybe the original RTS may appear), a different setting in the Halo universe, or maybe just put on hiatus until they are ready to do Halo 4.

Whatever happens to Halo, and no matter how big and lucrative it becomes, you can not force the creative minds behind it to keep working on iterations of the same thing forever.

@ 12, M.S. didn't buy bungie until after halo 1.

Halo 2 is better than halo 1, let's stop this argument right now. everyone's tired of hearin about it. if u suck that bad at fps that you can't get a kill on an even playin field, too damn bad.

and i'm sure that they will take a short break after halo 3, the same break they took after halo, and halo 2. They'ven been hirin a buttload of people lately, and after h3 rakes them even moooooooooore cash, the logical step is to reinvest that cash in more workers, thus opening the door for a 2nd i.p at the same time as halo 4. It's ignorant to not make halo 4 or halo: the prequel or w/e u wanna call it next, your in a business to make money, the halo gaming series is a bona fide cash cow now. Do you think Nintendo would just let mario sit on the back burner for 10 years because nintendo wanted to try somethin new? (ok bad analogy,nintendo is pretty ignorant w/ their 1st party support, i mean c'mon Luigi's haunted mansion instead of a mario title at gamecube launch?)

Halo 4 will be be in the 360's lifespan like halo 2 was out for the xbox's, towards the end, about a year or 2 before the next next gen systems start headin out.

All they did in lotr was walk to a damn volcano. - star wars ftw

I'm surprised no one has brought up the fact that video games aren't just about money; the guys at Bungie obviously take a lot of pride in the product they produce and shouldn't be expected to keep on churning out Halo games simply because they know they'll make money. If they feel that they are completing something artistically by ending it with Halo 3, there's no reason to keep pushing it until it's obvious they're just out to grub some cash. I'm not saying that won't happen, but I think there is some merit in trying to finish something the way you think it should be finished regardless of how much money you think you could make if you milked it.

15. "Halo and Halo 2 sold more units than the next six best selling games on the Xbox combined..."

If Halo were never created, something else would've taken its place. People would've latched onto another FPS or adventure game, hopefully one not quite as mediocre as either of the Halo games have been. Kudos to Bungie for moving on.

:Eyeroll:. Thats like saying people would have latched onto something in Goldeneye's place. The level that Halo-haters go to is generally hilarious. Without Halo, the Xbox would have failed. You can't deny that. Anyways, I figure that this is probably the end of the Master Cheif story line. After all, in the backstory he's like in his early 40s, which is pretty old even for a super soldier. They'll probably wrap this up, and then maybe have a new branch on the storyline if they ever make another Halo game.

I'm pretty sure there will not be a Halo 4. BUT thats not saying Bungie will not make a new series within the same universe. Halo was orignally a prequal-like game to the Marathon Trilogy, It all happen within the same Universe just differnt time (Halo takes place between 10,000-500 before Marathon) and I really do hope they try and connect the two in Halo3.

I would much rather see Bungie end Halo with Part 3 and create a new trilogy within the same universe then milk Halo till its a empty shell of what it once was. Why keep making sequals when you have nothing left to tell. Would you have wanted a Lord of the Rings 4?

Dave. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Video games are just about money. Sorry, but it is true. If M$ and the head of Bungie want another Halo and the dev. team says no. guess what happens???

THEY ALL GET FIRED!!! They hire new people, and make the game for even cheaper, and sell it for more money.

I bet you are going to say hollywood isn't about money either next!!

@Eric,

While the comparison to LotR is not rock-solid, it makes some sense. Like LotR, the Halo trilogy is the same story arc, so hopefully the installments better themselves because the story gets better as it goes on. Just as Jackson was able to add more suspense and action into the second and third, Bungie should be able to better the gameplay of the future installments.

Regarding new games, I don't expect Halo 3 to be the last of Bungie's Halo-styled games, but it may be the last to carry the Halo name. If Bungie were to go with a new franchise, I'd imagine they would splash "FROM THE MAKERS OF HALO" all over the box to capitilze on the popularity of the series.

What I find more likely, though, is Bungie going for a subtitle naming scheme. So maybe Halo: The Spartan Tale will be the fourth installment (ok, something with a better name, I was going for humor here!).

Anyway, Bungie has proven themselves in this genre and, as long as they can keep making the games fresh with new gameplay elements, I think they should continue to put out Halo-styled games.

I'm thinking prequel. The next game, "Halo: The Beginning" starts out with all of the Spartans fighting (and dying) at the hands of the Covenant. Based on the story so far, you end up fighting a retreating front against massive Covenant forces as Spartans are killed all around you. You can play as MC (Spartan 117), and by the end of the game you are the last Spartan and climb aboard the Pillar of Autumn. At which point, after finishing the game, you break out Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3 to play them again.

God I love Halo. I might go throw that into my 360 and play that all night. I get a break from the GF tonight and I can either play Poker or Halo. God, tuff call.

As long as they keep implementing new stuff while keeping the quality, I wouldn't mind some more Halo.

Oh, and they can do a Prequel!

Well of course their going to end the story with Halo 3. They won't kill the series it self. What is the best part of Halo and what makes halo halo? The LAN and online multiplayer. What I believe will happen is they will make a game similar to Unreal Tournament 2007 or in this case call It Halo Tournament 2008/9. Would make money and offer tons of weapons not usually found in the Halo Universe, the game would be mostly all based for LAN and Online play. And theres a chance it will be for Games For Windows (PC) and Xbox 360 Right out of the Box.

Funny, I thought the LotR movie trilogy got worse with each installment. They added more and more action and less storytelling.

25. Funny, I thought the LotR movie trilogy got worse with each installment. They added more and more action and less storytelling.

Posted at 10:19AM on Jul 28th 2006 by Poiuyt Man 0 stars

You would then be riticizing the books, as that is how they were written. They had a long introduction into the world of Middle Earth, with all the back-story and character development needed to fill you in to what was going on. Then, after that they focused on the struggle Middle Earth was facing in this War of the Ring.

Read the books, expand your world.

Also check out the Dark Tower Trilogy by Dennis L. McKiernan. Follows a similar path, but easier to read without the preaching.

I heard the same argument when they stopped making marathon games and then again when they stopped making myth games.

Oh really? Everyone thought and hoped they would make Marathon 4, here's what they had to say about that:

"
Imagine a painting of a horse, a marvellous white stallion. This stallion happens to be lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, dead. And Bungie employees are standing around it in a semicircle, beating the horse with various blunt objects. The painting is titled "Marathon 4."
Well, okay, that's overstating things. We're very proud of the Marathon series, but it's not the only thing we can do. Rather than getting into a rut and spitting out a new Marathon game every year, we're going to try some new stuff.
"

Now, Marathon 4 didn't sell as well as Halo, but put into perspective, it was the bees knees of the Mac gaming platform at the time, and still very very popular. I love Halo, don't get me wrong, but I'm VERY interested in what else Bungie can come up with.

What's wrong with it anyways? Endings rock. The next Metroid Prime is the end of the 'Prime' trilogy. There will still undoubtbly be 500 more Metroid games from Nintendo, but supposedly that's it for Prime. Yay. (Good games, but conclusions are nice)

Once they are done with Halo 3, they can move on tho World of Halo, errr I mean Halo Online. :) Blizz did it and it's raking in more cash than War 3 ever could hope to. Halo Online will happen. It makes a whole lot more sense than Halo 4 or 5 would.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind Halo becoming one of those constants, like Madden (just released at less frequency, gosh, I can't dish out $60 every year!).

Actually, if it was just Halo Multiplayer as a constant, I'd be happy. The story line could very well end right now, and I wouldn't care much beyond whatever emotions the game pulls.

Just look back at Bungie's history. Marathon was INSANELY popular and they stopped at three, packed up, and went on to something else (which happened to by Myth). There will NOT be a Halo 4.

If we're making comparisons to film, perhaps Star Wars would be more fitting (and not just for the sci-fi theme).

Bungie have made three Halo games (one pending). I'm not surprised if they want to take a break from the series for a little while. Do you think George Lucas wanted to make Star Wars movies ad infinitum?

Yet this article seems to be suggesting that Bungie will plummet to its financial doom should they stop making Halo games. What utter nonsense. Maybe they want to branch off and do something different for a while. And what's stopping that game from being a success? Bungie is clearly a competant and respected developer, so any projects they take on are likely to share the same attention to quality and detail as the Halo titles.

Back to the analogy - even Lucas ended his Star Wars story arc and worked on Indiana Jones. Nothing stopped him returning to Star Wars later, but an artist can't be trapped doing the same thing forever in order to turn a profit.

Halo 4 will never, ever come out, Halo is done after Halo 3. They might create another game within the Halo universe, but we will probably never see Master Chief again, and we will never play as him again.

It all comes down to "what is Bungie?"

If they are a business (nothing more, nothing less) then the likelihood of the "series" continuing is quite high, since it is "just a logical business decision".

If however, they are a "creative entity" and see themselves more as artists than as a business, then it is feasible that they could easily "end it" when and where they choose and move onto another body of work.

So the question posed by the article is best answered by answering this one. "Does Bungie see themselves as a powerful entity in the business of making games? Or, do they see themselves as artists who have been commercially successful with their creative endeavors?"

I suspect that analysts and other experts in the field may have one answer that differs drastically from the response that Bungie's long-time fans would give.

Time will tell which is the more accurate view.

I don't get all the noise about the ending of such a mediocre game, way overrated these Halo games, there's more to say about the 1st level of Goldeneye than the whole 2 Halo games... I find it quite bad personnaly, more like fanboys wanting to adore at least a game on the X-Box more than anything...

Well, I don't think Halo 3 will be the last Halo game. I think it will be the last Halo game in the direct series. Come on, Halo Party? Who else wants to see Cortana bopping dice with her head and garnering stars, eh, eh?

It should be no surprise that Bungie's next game will be something akin to "Warthog Halo Cart X" or something like that.

I like the the Halo MMO idea; I can see that one materializing. It wouldn't make sense to cut it off. Halo+Xbox+XBL has been the best video game value per dollar I've ever experienced.

http://suicideninja.blogspot.com/2006/07/entertainment-hour-per-dollar.html

The Halo story arc is based on the Master Chief fighting the covenant. I don't see how they can bring another story arc to the "Halo" series.

There really are a number of ideas that would work.
Forerunnercould be the title for game.
1. An adventure exploration game to discover the secrets of the forerunners and possibly build an empire out of the aquired technology.

2. An Online shooter to try to wrangle away the covenants hold on the galaxy. Having ground and space battles in real time. Or some kind of squad based war like the Chrome Hounds idea only done without all the server issues.

Those would be fun.

There were rumblings about Halo: Forerunner a while ago (article in Game Informer I believe...) which would be a great way to continue the series outside of the story established in Halos 1-3.

Much larger levels, larger online player capacity. The concept sounded very Tribes...which would be awesome! It could have also been smoke and mirrors, but regardless, it would be nice to see Bungie give the Halo fans out there a little more multiplayer love.

As it stands Bungie should wrap up the whole Master Chief thing. Even as a fan of the games we're about to get inundated with even MORE Halo with the movie, the next game, the graphic novel...I'd be more eager to see what they could do with some different gameplay and a new IP.

Its not a rumor. Bungie announced it themselves. They announced it at least 3 times, on thier website,multiple times in the Making of the E3 Trailer, and with Finish The Fight.

They could re make Halo 1 after Halo 3. Kinda like what they did with Star Wars, they re made Episode 4 (I think). But to continue it might be gay, because it's supposed to be a trilogy. Or they could make 3 games of what happened before Halo 1. Again like Star Wars. But I mean, don't you think making a Star Wars Episode 7 would be gay? Same with Halo, in my opinion.

Bungie is ending it with Halo 3. Period. They just have to hope Microsoft is happy enough with the whole 'FROM THE CREATORS OF HALO' tagline for whatever property Bungie's been quietly working on the last few years.

Hopefully they won't do what Namco did with Katamari Damacy property and force new ones out, even though the creator wanted it to be a stand-alone game, just for the extra cash.

Basically, if Bungie says that this is a stand-alone trilogy, it will be.

The PREQUEL TRILOGY!!!

Picture it: A young Master Chief lives in the Serengeti Desert with his mother when two admirals come to talk to him. After he is modified, he hears his mother was killed by laughing hyenas named Banzai, Shenzi and Ed! Master Chief goes and kills those bastards.

Oh yes, the possibilities are endless...

So Bungie cannot create a good game outside of the marathon and halo universe. Oh, ye of little faith.

Halo 3 will be the last halo, but that doesnt mean that Bungies future games wont have cross references and such. Bungie has been making awesome games forever and if anyone remembers marathon, its full of references to the forunner and rampant ai's and all such things. Its friggen sweet.

maybe it'd be stupid, but i'd respect the hell out of it.

@ 15

People always rag on Final Fantasy for "going on forever" just because it numbers in at #11 going on 12 right now etc etc, but its not like they are sequels. Apart from more recent spin-offs, they are all separate IP's!

Sure they have some recurrring monsters and traditions (Cactuar, Moogles, Chocobos, Cid, Biggs and Wedge) but these are things that all companies do in their games. If squaresoft had simply named each of the games something different, people wouldn't whine nearly as much. No one would say "Squaresoft makes too many... games...errr RPGs". Ummm, yeah, that's generally their forte' so to speak.

Now, I can see how you can get down on megaman (god rest his soul after the NES) or some of the recycled content in FF games, but, really, apart from the names, they are all original IP's based off of Squaresoft's own little subgenre of the RPG.

With all of that said, it would be kind of cool to see what the names for the other Final Fantasies could have been, but, personally, I like "Final Fantasy 7" better than "Tales of the Quest Saga: Save World from Meteor Battle XTreme".

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A Bungie with business sense would make Halo 4 and 5 and...

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