Halo 4 is something of an enigma. Scratch that: the game is almost entirely an unknown entity, from even the very basics of its plot on up through its multiplayer, whether it will expand the franchise's legendary combat to tremendous breadth or pare it back, distilling the game's salient qualities into a condensed and powerful pill. There is one thing we know to be certain, however, and it may be the most influential force on the course of the game's development: Halo 4 will not be made by Bungie.

After engineering five entries in the series that launched the Xbox brand, Bungie has stepped back and left Halo in the care of its long-time publishing partner, Microsoft Game Studios. As such, development duties of this newest title have become the purview of 343 Industries. Of note: 343i is not simply a conveniently named studio brought in by Microsoft to keep the brand aloft. The studio has been around, and involved in managing the Halo franchise in all its forms, from games and animations to comics and books, since Bungie split from Microsoft in 2007, and left the Halo brand in their publisher's care. These are people who are heavily invested in the production—as well as the lore—of the Halo universe and its continued success going forward.

They're being given the chance to have a direct hand in that success, too, and a lot of trust, with a second trilogy planned from Halo 4 onward. And 343 Industries has ideas. They have a new direction planned for the Master Chief. Spartan 117. John.

Master Chief isn't a name, it's a rank, and Spartan 117 is a designation rather than an identity. As for John, the name is woefully generic. John is the male everyman name, the go-to moniker for the anonymous, for those characters who act as ciphers rather than as foils. For the vast majority of the Halo series, that is what Master Chief has been. He spoke, but sparingly, acted bravely, but rarely without the player's direct input. In Halo 2 and Halo 3, his behavior was contrasted with that of the Arbiter, whose story was one of conspiracy and redemption. Whereas the Arbiter had a purpose that was deeply tied to his personality, to the shame and then the anger he felt at being misled, John's path is one of duty, his passion shared with that of the men and women alongside whom he serves. The rest of his personality has been a blank filled in by the person behind the controller.

Halo 4 looks to change that. Already, other media in the Halo universe has granted invested fans a shade of the man, the facts to fill in his history without the personality to color it. Halo 4 looks to provide that personality, to truly make the series about John not only as a being, as the Master Chief whom the Covenant feared, who defeated the Flood and… Well, we won't spoil the end of Halo 3 for you, but 343 Industries wants to make Halo 4 about John as a man, as an individual.

Halo 4 picks up sometime after the end of the third game, with John in the same set of circumstances, except that the general futility of his situation has become both an immediate danger and a chance for something more.

A warning for those who haven't finished Halo 3 and don't want to have its ending spoiled for them. What follows will contain spoilers.

The trailer for Halo 4 revealed the gateway, the portal (or vortex) that appears to simultaneously rend what remains of John and Cortana's drifting vessel while potentially offering them some form of salvation. It's not a black hole, light issuing forth from it so brightly that John and all of space around him are harshly illuminated, and light is a symbol of hope—John standing on the edge of the ruined ship, facing the light, is one of potential.

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While we don't yet know much about how the game will play, beyond presumptions that it will draw on the franchise's tremendous legacy with regard to its core gameplay, an animated concept art trailer from 343 Industries has given us a snapshot of its setting, much of the action seemingly set planetside and featuring a number of new vehicles, some with a more rounded appearance than those seen in previous Halo titles. While it is incredibly unlikely that the Covenant, or its component races, will return, there is a brief flash at the end of the trailer—almost too fast to see—of what might be a long-legged, insectoid or arachnid creature that issues a high-pitched screech. There's much to be said about the psychological effects of arachnids and insects on people's perceptions, playing into a very common fear of things that are small and yet can present a big, and often unseen, threat.

There's a long wait before any of this speculation comes to fruition, as Halo 4 is not scheduled for release until late 2012, but with a series so big, tremendous expectations are resting on the shoulders of its developers.

By Shelby Reiches
CCC Contributing Writer