Xbox boss: Halo can have the same longevity as Star Wars

The Halo franchise stands alone in the world of first person shooters due to its fans attachment to its characters.

That’s according to Xbox head Phil Spencer, who told GameSpot: "Halo is somewhat unique to [other shooters] that we were talking about in that it has such a heavy character and story base to it. I think it’s one of the real strengths of the franchise. People know the characters’ names in the franchise.

"They know who Master Chief is. They know who Cortana is. It’s not always true of other shooting franchises that you have that same connection to the characters in the story, and that there’s a consistency and a connective tissue between the games."

"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, much the same way Star Wars and Spider-Man and other things are. 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."

Halo is already older than you probably expect, having debuted way back in 2001 in the form of Halo: Combat Evolved. Such was the impact of the title that it single-handedly gave Microsoft’s console newcomer the Xbox the stature it needed to cement a place for itself in the Nintendo and Sony dominated market.

It has since gone on to produce three further numbered sequels and five spin-offs, as well as two remakes.

Halo 5: Guardians will be released October 27th.