Waddle posted on Twitter: “If the new Halo game gets delayed because of a book, I’m gonna go crazy.” Wow, that’s such a strong and clear opinion! There are still folks who think the release of one will lead to the delay of the other. Many, however, see the book as providing an incentive to the game rather than a weakness, as it is the case with 343’s Dante’s Inferno and Umbra. And that is a valid point worth considering. The situation is like this: 343 doesn’t want to drag out their stories, unlike the Lord of the Rings’ Sauron and Gandalf; they want games and their tie-in books to flow together like a river.
“That would turn into a huge mess. Can’t you just do the storytelling through the games only?” Some fans even complain that the ‘Halo‘ narrative is constantly tangled. For instance, somebody on a forum mentioned the series’ problems coming from having different story arcs that aren’t well interconnected. Most of the time, what one game introduces as the main enemy or conflict in an area is almost always abandoned by the sequel on the pretext that the topic has been thoroughly explored through previous narratives in other games and perhaps through books too. If only the devs could choose and stick to a single plotline! The gameplay would be so much smoother and cohesive.
Moreover, the doubling of the story through game and book sometimes leads the latter to receive less attention or even be completely overlooked in the case of players not reading it. There are still people with the attitude of ‘I’ll wait until the game is out before even considering the book’. And this issue with the book being neglected or thought of as not cool enough ties back to the previous concern of failed or fragmented narratives.
Nonetheless, now, with the reboot and fresh narrative, the relationship between the game and the book seems to change for the better. Fans have become more optimistic about the ‘Edge of Dawn’ being more than just a side story; a companion piece rather. Daring or brave, let us say, 343 took the gamble this time. The new book with the full cast has already created some buzz around it, making it simply impossible to pass without the players’ attention, whether they’re on PlayStation or Xbox.
In the end, the question “who will have the last word?” is probably the most proper and fitting one. And to think that there was really nothing left to explain after all this debate! But in reality, the whole chaos was really about one tiny matter: the fans are simply not willing to overlook any more storytelling issues or disconnects. It’s often said that it is better to make the fans wait longer but provide them quality in the end instead of throwing a mediocre game together just for them. This seems to be the case at 343i since the story of Master Chief and the new AI continues through books and games alike. Enthusiasts of the Halo campaign have no doubt that, despite the continuous silent conflict between 343 and the community, the genres will work together to make the world of Halo more vivid, and an epic narrative will be the direct result of this union.
It’s too early to judge, but honestly, they seem like they were just playing with us. 343 Studios, with all discussions over the past years from ‘Halo 4’ to ‘Halo Infinite’, has become very good at handling fan expectations and opinions. For the time being, the issues are being kept under wraps, but if we know 343, they’ll eventually resurface in their stories. Not right away, though, as it won’t be long before ‘Edge of Dawn’, or whatever it’s called, comes out and everyone gets hooked!
