Will history remember the name Master Chief in the same breath as icons such as Mario and Link?
With the recent release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, fans have been reminded of just how epic this series has become (not to mention what it’s meant to the Xbox and shooter genre for over a decade). However, with the most recent sequel being met with lukewarm results and the upcoming Guardians looking to possibly shift the focus away from our main protagonist, will fan support remain firmly intact?
The folks at Microsoft certainly think so. In fact, they believe the foundations have already been laid to ensure gamers are lobbing plasma grenades at one another for years and years to come. When Microsoft’s new in-house developer (dubbed 343 Industries) were tasked with moving the franchise forward, some worried the creative muse may have evaporated with Bungie’s exodus. GM Bonnie Ross was on the ground floor back then, who says she had every confidence in her newly assembled team’s ability to usher in the next era (acting as stewards of such a valuable IP). Here’s what she told Bloomberg in a recent interview regarding 343’s strength and diversity: “It’s really important for us to get young female talent, because they are the future. It’s important to have leadership roles across the industry that people can aspire to. At the time of 343 Industries’ formation in 2007, the Halo series–which debuted in 2001–was already six years old. I wanted to make sure we were able to go another three decades.”
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll tell you I’ve been a tad obsessed with Halo in the past. I credit it as the title which brought me back into the fold of my FPS brethren after a long absence. Therefore, my opinion could be considered biased, but I’ll do my best to be impartial. In light of that, I must point out one fatal flaw in Mrs. Ross’ logic. In this day and age, people’s attention spans are growing ever shorter by the minute. We’re inundated with input and content from virtually every direction, as searching for that next-big thing has almost become our national pass time. While the first Halos were significant for their period, I fear many have adopted a “what have you done for me lately” attitude when it comes to the Reclaimer’s exploits. Sure, Halo 5 has a decent amount of hype built up thus far, but the level of anticipation and fanfare has certainly waned to a fraction of what we’ve seen in former releases.
If I were a bettin’ man, I’d be hesitant to double-down on the idea that Halo will survive beyond the 20-teens. Let’s face it – there is only so much you can do with one storyline. What WILL sustain it for the foreseeable future is the play-mechanics that are unique to the Halo series itself ( IE : the arena flavor most shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield tend to ignore these days). That’s certainly a nice ace in the hole to possess, but obviously this niche can’t be milked forever, especially with game-changers like Destiny now on the market.
Names like Mario and Link had the good fortune of building their reputations at a period when our industry was not so crowded. That explains their longevity. I’m afraid Master Chief does not share such a luxury, as his timing is just a bit off.