Big Halo 3 ODST Sales And The Return Of Master Chief

With Halo 3: ODST selling 2.5 million copies within two weeks of release, Microsoft talks to USA Today about the future of the franchise, merchandising, and the possibly return of Master Chief.

The Halo franchise has sold more than 25 million copies combined so far, with Halo 3: ODST, the recently released standalone game, making up a good 10% of that in just 2 weeks on store shelves. Along with next year’s prequel Halo: Reach, Bungie and Microsoft have a whole lot of Halo going on. There’s a new comic book series, Blood Line, kicking off in December, the Halo Legends anime, the Halo: Evolution anthology novel, and the trilogy from acclaimed science fiction author Greg Bear, due out next year. And you know Todd McFarlane isn’t going to stop milking the franchise anytime soon.

But with all of this Halo merchandising, there’s still something missing. Where’s Master Chief? Microsoft’s Frank O’Connor says that everyone’s favorite Spartan can’t possibly be gone for long.

As for Master Chief, odds are he will be seen again. “I think that (his) fate, Cortana’s fate and the identity of that giant, dark planet at the ending (on the game’s hardest skill level) – that’s a spoiler – are probably big mysteries that would be irritating if they were just cliffhangers,” O’Connor says. “We do have a plan that goes out at least six years,” he says. “Eventually, it will become very apparent that there is a plan for the way the canon all ties together and the way the comic books and the novels all tie together.”

See? They have a plan, and once it comes to fruition, the world will tremble at their feet…or at least be really happy to see MC and Cortana again.

Video game ‘Halo’ spins off books, action figures and more [USA Today]