343 Industries: Master Chief Will Return

With Halo 3's ending, we saw series protagonist Master Chief step out of the spotlight, and since then, new Halo games like ODST and this year's Halo: Reach have focused on new lead characters. Fans of everyone's favorite Spartan need not worry, though. 343 Industries, Microsoft's new internal division that is handling the Halo franchise, assures us that he will be back.

Planet Xbox 360 has quotes from 343 Industries creative director Frank O'Connor given during Comic-Con last week. Says O'Connor:

"We'd have to be the world's biggest a**holes not to follow through.... We certainly haven't seen the last of Master Chief."

Sadly O'Connor didn't provide any further hints as to what's next for Master Chief or the Halo franchise, but with Reach releasing this fall, word of the next Halo game can't be too terribly far away.