343 Industries, the division within Microsoft that oversees the development of the Halo franchise, has confirmed to IGN that the Halo series Master Chief will be undergoing some pretty serious visual changes at the very least. Frank O’Conner, Halo Director, says that the ‘Chief himself will undergo an “artistic evolution” in a way that is “connected to the story”, adding that our hero has been in space for “a long time”.
“There’s some fairly radical modifications to his armor,” O’Connor said. “Some of those are an artistic evolution, but some are connected to the story. We just can’t talk about it yet. He’s been in space for a long time.”
Frank O’Conner further talked about changes that Cortana will be undergoing.
“Seven years is the lifespan for a smart AI before it enters a state called rampancy,” O’Connor said. “Cortana was getting close to the end of her natural lifespan at the end of Halo 3 but she has been exposed to far more information than any other AI in existence. She’s going to develop some muscle from that process but it also contributes to her rampancy – that much information makes things worse.”
