Halo lead producer Jason Pace has said Microsoft is aiming galactic when it comes to the franchise, with plans to go beyond first-person shooters.
He adds they want it to become as "culturally pervasive" as George Lucas' iconic Star Wars. Pace notes that Halo has a "vast universe" to tap into, one that spans "thousands of years".
"We as a studio view Halo as our Star Wars," Pace told VideoGamer.com at an event in London. "We want it to become that culturally pervasive."
"Our vision for what the franchise can be extends far beyond just first-person shooters that are appealing to a certain kind of audience. This is a vast universe, it extends back thousands and thousands of years, it's huge, many different worlds, races that we haven't even met yet."
"...we hope to tell many different stories in many different ways, capture the hearts and minds of new generations as we go forward. So absolutely we are committed to this franchise."
Could Halo really reach the level of Star Wars fame and renown? "If you look at how the franchise has grown, and just the number of people who are aware of it, we're certainly comparable to the major cultural touchstones, or at least well on our way," notes Pace.
"The games have generated over $1 billion of revenue. That puts them in the same class as a triple-A movie franchise. They've been around now for almost an entire generation of players, and we're moving into new generations of players."
"If you just look at how the franchise is growing, it's actually diversifying. Our recent books that have released in the last several years, several of which have been on the New York Times best-seller list, for example. Assuming we continue to carry the torch and do what's right by the franchise it's only going to continue to expand."
Will Halo attain stratospheric heights of fame as Star Wars, or has Microsoft too much faith in this technological terror they have created?
