Entertainment properties that stand the test of time are few and far between. Will Call of Duty be around 20 years from now? Assassin's Creed? Or will they be buried and forgotten about? How about Halo?
Xbox boss Phil Spencer seems to think Halo will be among the few properties to last the ages. In an interview with Gamespot he says the series still will be around, even 20 years from now, provided it's been handled well. Spencer also says Halo is the reason Xbox exist and that it is their most valued brand.
"We probably have had a Halo release every year for the last few years, but just around the cadence of things, like Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike and obviously Master Chief Collection and the anniversary editions. In terms of the core releases for us, Halo is somewhat unique to those games."
Spencer says it's important to have a new Halo to look forward to and not overuse the series:
"I like seeing the ability for us to get excited about a release. It kind of builds to a hype, and then it plays. I don't want to overplay or overuse the franchise. It's a franchise and an IP I expect to be around 20 years from now. I think it has the weight that it can support that, but I think that the franchise then needs to be managed in a way that doesn't burn it out."
He end with a comparison with the TV world, which has the same problems:
"I think that's true of any entertainment IP, I think. With television series, if you look at it, they're on a weekly cadence, and they have to do that. Other than some anomalies like The Simpsons, things usually wear out. Not because the stories or characters are bad, but eventually people have kind of ... they've seen enough of it, and they're done with Happy Days, and they want to move on to the next thing.
I want to make sure that we're cultivating it and growing it the right way."
Have you missed our preview of the first two chapters of the Halo 5: Guardians campaign? No worry, you'll find it over here.