After the events of Halo 4, along with the recent conclusion of Spartan Ops Season 1, the Halo universe has been shaken to it’s very core.

Master Chief has, for all intents and purposes, retired. Cortana has ceased to "exist”, ONI has ordered the assassination of Catherine Halsey, and Halsey has been shot and had her arm amputated, no doubt a result of a clumsy, fumbling Sangheili surgeon with no human medical experience. Requiem has been flung into it’s sun, and the Janus Key has been revealed to be the map to the remaining Forerunner Technology, but is split between the UNSC and Storm faction. Meanwhile, Lasky seems to be on his way to a court-martial.

Halo 4 campaign’s story was interesting and I enjoyed it, but I felt that it left too many details unsaid in a bid to push folk to the Terminals, when truly, these details should have been added to the game’s main storyline. Heck, adding Osman into Spartan Ops wouldn’t have rung any bells for anyone unless they’ve read Halo: Glasslands and Halo: The Thursday War. continue reading>>>

While Frank’s words present the perfect note to end on, I’d like to share a little about the future he spoke of. One of the best parts about being blessed with the caretaker role of such an expansive universe is the opportunity for exploration, and books play an important role in that. Halo: Primordium came out in early 2012, and Halo: Silentium, the third novel in the Forerunner Saga written by Greg Bear, is slated to be released on March 19, 2013. Here is a little about it, for the fiction fans amongst you:

In Halo: Cryptum, Greg Bear began a three-book arc set in the era of the Forerunners, the ancient and enigmatic creators and builders of the Halos, which continued in Halo: Primordium. Now, in the last years of the Forerunner Empire, chaos rules. The Flood, a horrifying shape-changing parasite, has arrived in force, aided by unexpected allies. Internal strife within the ecumene has desperately weakened Forerunner defenses.

Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian, a husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict, hold the keys to salvation. Facing the consequences of a profound tragedy, one of them must commit a great atrocity in order prevent an unmatched evil from dominating the entire universe.

As far as Halo 4 goes, we have some fun stuff planned for late January and beyond. After the Infinity Challenge concludes, regular Matchmaking updates will start up again (and that includes the return of the second half of Spartan Ops Season 1, which features brand new stories, missions and locations). It’s important to note the below scheduled is not finalized and could very well change, but as of right now, here is what we’re tentatively planning:

Week of 1/21
Spartan Ops Episode 6: Five new missions and an accompanying new CG cinematic.
"Forge Test" playlist (name not final): A rotational hopper featuring small Forge maps such as Relay. Help us test these maps by providing feedback and reporting bugs that will assist us in getting them ready for Matchmaking!
Specializations: Pioneer and Pathfinder Specializations unlocked for all players.

Week of 1/28
Spartan Ops Episode 7: Five new missions and an accompanying new CG cinematic.
Grifball playlist: A rotational hopper featuring everybody’s favorite virtual sport. Catch the disease!
Specializations: Engineer and Stalker Specializations unlocked for all players.

Week of 2/4
Spartan Ops Episode 8: Five new missions and an accompanying new CG cinematic.
Team Doubles playlist: A rotational hopper for those of you that like action of the 2 vs 2 variety.
Specializations: Rogue and Tracker Specializations unlocked for all players.

Matchmaking updates go live every Monday, and potential playlists for the month of February include both FFA and a new and improved version of Team Snipers. Late February will also bring both a Title Update and the Majestic Map Pack (which includes two small maps and one medium-sized map) to Halo 4 as well. Expect more information on all of those things next month.

While we’re excited about our upcoming Matchmaking updates, I’m also excited about some of the things that may be low on your priority list but are high on mine. Take communication, for instance. I believe we need to work harder to get you information. We communicate through Bulletins, blog articles, social media channels and our forums. While that may sound like a lot, there are still numerous people asking questions about information that is already out there. That means we need to work harder to make sure the information is where you are. We’ve already started this effort on the forums (which is the first and most important place we look for feedback). We launched a "News” section, where we provide links to all headline articles, press releases, and blog articles we publish on a daily basis. There are also threads in that section where you can suggest a topic (Battle Rifle bulletology, anyone?) or ask a question for a future Bulletin. We’ll continue working on our communication, and you can gage our efforts by keeping an eye on the following forum accounts:

Forum Team: General support
MM Systems Team: Matchmaking information
bs angel: General updates