343 working on Halo 4 in secrecy for over two years

Remember all those times when you would wonder to yourself what exactly 343 Industries is doing?  They certainly haven’t been releasing games, and their most popular development project to date has been Halo Waypoint.  Well yesterday at SDCC ’11 the Halo panel kicked off to talk about all things Halo.  In the process, Frank O’Connor admitted to the world that 343 has been working on the Halo 4 project in secrecy for over two years. The franchise development director claimed that the recent E3 reveal was a “relief”, as they sat by and listened to the community voice their confusion about the new team responsible for the expansion of the Halo universe.

The Halo panel also touched on the new books which will be hitting shelves in the fall, and of course the Halo: Combat Evolved HD Remake which will hit store shelves later this year.

I’ve always thought that those that have read the books and kept up with the amazing backstory behind the Halo franchise have enjoyed the game more.  I know I have because of it, and can’t wait for the new novels.  But the incorporation of more back story development into the Halo HD remake should help those that aren’t willing to go the extra mile and read the novels.

343 also released a vidoc yesterday showcasing The Silent Cartographer level from the upcoming Halo remake.   Have a look below.