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Halo 5: 343 will "do much better next time", O'Connor talks next-gen

Halo 4 may have only just come out in November, but 343 Industries is already looking at ways it can improve its handling of Bungie's franchise going forward with Halo 5 development. Studio head Frank O'Connor has laid bare his vision and ambition for what comes next.

Over on Halo Waypoint, O'Connor published a post that revaled the team had been doing a lot of soul-searching and identified areas it could improve upon going forward.

Said O'Connor, "Halo 4 is the best and fastest-selling Halo game in the series. It won critical acclaim. It won awards, from Best Graphics at the VGAs to Game of the Year at the Inside Gaming Awards. We altered the engine. We expanded the universe. We innovated in storytelling, technology, and even marketing.

"It wasn't flawless by any stretch of the imagination, but by most objective criteria, it was a resounding success. So we know we have a lot to do. And we know we have a lot to learn. But we also know that we now have the capacity, the teamwork, the technology and the experience to do much better next time."

Talking about 343's next-gen ambitions with Halo 5 - and actually alluding that the game is coming to Microsoft's next console - O'Connor added, "There are a ton of things we wish we could done better: Features that didn't make it into the final game. Glitches that emerged. Missteps made. DLC fiascos. Communication breakdowns.

"But there were things that went astonishingly well - the creation of a genuinely competitive AAA studio chief among them. A collection of talent and souls that can do something genuinely amazing on this and next-generation hardware. The overhaul of an amazing game engine - but one that really needed to be overhauled - and an amassed education on systems, people, code and audience that will stand us in great stead for the future."

What do you feel Halo 4 could have done better? Let us know below.

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Halo 4

Xbox 360

Halo 5: Guardians

Xbox One

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Dave Cook avatar

Dave Cook

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Dave worked on VG247 for an extended period manging much of the site's news output. As well as his experience in games media, he writes for comics, and now specializes in books about gaming history.

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