Microsoft teases Master Chief's return to Halo

However, rather than be seen through the visor of series hero Master Chief, Halo 3: ODST will be seen from the perspective of several Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. As shown in various trailers, the game will begin with a squad of the elite troopers dropped behind enemy lines in New Mombasa, which is occupied by the multispecies fanatical armies of the Covenant.

"[Halo 3: ODST] is significantly more than an add-on," Halo franchise development director--and former Bungie employee--Frank O'Connor told the nationwide newspaper. "It's a lot of game. You play the game through the point of view of an ODST. They are dropped into combat from orbit. They have a rivalry with the Spartans that is well known to the fans of the fiction. We finally let you into their boots as it were. ... It's kind of a detective story in a way. But it is much more action-packed than that."

But will the Master Chief make an appearance in Halo 3: ODST? O'Connor was coy about the possibility, saying only, "I doubt we have seen the last of Master Chief." The comment could also potentially be a teaser for Halo 4, since the final Halo 3 cinematic--if played on legendary difficulty--shows the Master Chief and the Arbiter as having survived the explosion of the starship Forward Unto Dawn.