The Halo series and Master Chief are about as intrinsically linked as it's possible to be, with the latter serving as one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable protagonists in games on any platform.
The original games defined the early days of the Xbox and the idea of Master Chief not being in those was pretty unfathomable, but over the years different developers did their best to reinvent the series without his influence.
The best example of this is Halo: Reach, and players online have begun to point to that game's strengths to illustrate their wish for a future where Halo games give players the opportunity to forge the fates of their own characters, rather than Chief himself.
Who Could Replace Master Chief?
Over on Reddit, one player shared their belief that 343 Industries and any other studio that works on a Halo game should eschew Master Chief in favour of a character customisation and creation system.
It's fair to say that idea was met with a variety of responses, from people who thought the OP was onto something to those who considered it blasphemy.
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"Reach was definitely one of my favorites. Many people complained at how everyone dies, the "dumb" death of Kat... But for me, those are strong points. They show what Halo is about when you're not the luckiest super soldier, and "just" a group of above average Spartans III (and Jorge). Instead, and as great and powerful you are, a single bullet, a single energy sword is all it takes to end you," one said.
"My two favorite campaigns are ODST and Reach. But, Master Chief is Halo, and he is the de facto Xbox mascot," another contested. "Master Chief should never be retired. Mainline Halo titles should always star Master Chief. But there is an infinite amount of possibilities to use other Spartans and ODST in spinoff games, game modes and material."
Whatever the next game does decide to do, the developer has a bit of a battle on its hands to win back the hearts and minds of the Halo community at large.
Topics: Halo, Xbox, 343 Industries