If they would reboot the franchise, what would be a hypothetical good way to do so, that would please the majority of us?

Community General Discussion
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I am a big, die-hard Halo fan, since 2004, a time when getting Xbox games were extremely difficult if you lived in Brazil (Halo 2 is to this day my favorite campaign of all time, second only to Halo 3, maybe because I loved every cutscene and atmosphere of Halo 2. Maybe because of its ‘epicness’, and that bad -Yoink!- cliffhanger, and music and… and… ).

The story Bungie shipped was very cohesive and really not melodramatic. It was bombastic, it was epic, it was straight to the point, it was everything we wanted it to be. But eventually they had to leave the torch of Halo in the hands of Microsoft, who had and has every bit on intention to make the brand grow – and thank you for that

However, 343 Industries had a very difficult task, to keep this franchise with a very intricate lore and tones, with a traditional gameplay and distinct art style alive. From the scattered pieces of information we have, not a large number of seasoned Bungie ex-employees were hired by 343i. And according to what we know, they wanted to bet high and bite a chunk of the Call of Duty fans that brought in a very handsome revenue by trying to revamp what was very fine tuned to the core fans, in order to bring it to a broader audience (meaning, changing the gameplay, the tone, the artstyle, the storytelling, the multiplayer, etc etc)

Unfortunately for all parties, the gamble failed every time it was attempted. As a result, we have been for close to a decade without a Halo game we truly loved, and the interest for this colossal franchise has been honestly waning over the recent years

Microsoft and 343i see that we, Halo fans, really really want its revival, to keep on playing in this incredible universe, and as result, bringing in l’argent, benjamins, money. But they also know that interest for the franchise will not be high forever if they keep missing the mark.

My suggestion would be to focus on the current fanbase, and take especial care for the core fanbase of the original Bungie games. This is what made Halo popular in first place. And is this what makes people come back to the franchise. Even MCC brings in people, while Halo 4 and Halo 5… not so much. Halo Infinite was very close to what we wanted it to be, and hats off to them. But that for another topic.

Not to say that 343i games were all bad – I really disliked their story, the melodrama, ‘un-militaristic’ tone, what they did to the backstory of the forerunners and today’s humans (check videos 1 and 2 for a condensed explanation of what I mean). Though some aspects of the gameplay were interesting, they are not my favorite Halo games (and truth be told I never played their campaigns more than once)

I don’t believe that being negative all the time helps business with connected thoughts. It generates more panic than just giving feedback on what is awfully off the mark, but that’s how communication over the internet has become with the younger audience. So on this thread, I would love to hear from you all what would be a good way to ‘reboot’ the franchise, as the rumors say

Maybe is Chief and Cortana 2 time traveling to before Halo 4? Maybe Halo 4, 5 and Infinite were all dreams while Chief was asleep inside Forward Unto Dawn?
Anyway, go on Spartans!

Video 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjZMRcpbK2E

Video 2:
“We were forerunner”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P-uOCKDTAA

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Franchise reboots rarely, if ever provide an actual in-universe reason for the reboot.

You just start over and go with it. No reason to damage the setting further by including time travel or other nonsense.

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I would say double down on infinite and expand. The reboot is already done and we were just as clueless in CE on story.

I feel this is not only a poor suggestion and topic, but an extremely expensive one with little insight. I don’t mean to denigrate you directly. It just fits a pattern of unhelpful advice this community seems keen on offering.

Nobody likes IT. Everybody needs it. Microsoft and 343 of all companies should treat their team with love and respect.

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Reboot from halo 3s ending.

Keep lasky and some characters.
Focus on oni and their dark dealings in a now fractured universe.
Reduce the scale.
Return the mystery.
Focus on humanity’s relationships with the other races and build slowly and methodically towards a major conflict rather than rush headlong into fantasy.
Return to a link, blank slate character.

@RadiantRock13
How exactly is it unhelpful.
We have seen the new direction cause issues from the get go and every game has failed to produce a cohesive through line as a result each stpry feeling half baked and reliant onn external sources.
I totally get not thinking its the right move but to call it unhelpful seem a bit extreme.
Given your logic Doom 2016 and the Mandalorian were

But both proved to be the thing to revitalise their respective franchise with both legacy and new consumers.

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I retract my previous statement. It was totally emotional

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Ehh infinite does feel like the foundation of something. We may never see what it is, but there’s something there.

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@RadiantRock13 I can appreciate that sentiment.

So did 4 and 5.
Both fresh starts establishing a new threat and mission.

Id argue infinite sfeels like the most hollow of the 3 foundations 343i has built. Failing to be a continuation, on ramp or spiritual reboot. And providing little or no real toundation aside from 2 almost non present threats. We were told atriox was strong and that the endless were scary but neither is felt. And both are easily forgotten.

Ultimately I do not feel its fair to place the burden and baggage of 3 disparate foundations on the writer of the next game. I think it would benefit us all if that hurdle was removed entirely.
Thats an opinion though and totally respect the alternative view.
Prior to infinites launch i saw it as being completely capable of righting the ship and delivering a finale to the reclaim saga while establishing the next step.
But now, now I am void of enthusiasm and optimism and saddened by the current state of the franchise.

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@Moditor_026
Ah but you see, my spirit is still supple and full of hope, ready to be broken over daddys knee

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@RadiantRock13
I dont envy any writer saddled with this mess of a narrative when they could just reboot the 343i era stuff.
But I do wish them all of the luck.

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Who knows what they have planned

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Right now.
Id guess not much besides scramble.
Fool me 1, 2, 3, and this makes 4.