The recent release of Halo Wars and imminent release of Halo 3: ODST for the Xbox 360 have stirred up worry that absentee Master Chief has made his final appearance in a Halo game. Happily, those concerned can now relax after franchise developer Frank O’Connor was quoted as saying “I doubt we have seen the last of Master Chief”.

Halo Wars is prequel to the original games, set in a time when Spartans such as Master Chief were abundant. Not only does it allow players a glimpse of how an army of Master Chiefs operate, as a real-time strategy game it also gives them the ability to control them, a unique perspective devoted Halo fans will surely appreciate.

In contrast, Halo 3: ODST fills in the gap between Halo 2 and Halo 3, and is a first-person shooter like previous Halo games. However, O’Connor says ODST “is significantly more than an add-on. It’s a lot of game. You play the game through the point of view of an ODST [Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]. 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.”

If those games are lacking that Master Chief factor for fans, they need look no further than their local comic book shop. Marvel Comics has been producing a series called Halo: Uprising that features the hero’s own story between Halo 2 & Halo 3. The final issue will be released later this month. In addition to this is a specific series for Halo 3: ODST that will be released in the summer, with the game set for release in the fall. The ODST series, called Halo: Hell Jumpers, will pour detail into the troopers’ back-story, who are described by O’Connor as “kind of the Navy Seals of the Halo universe”. Another comic, Spartan Black, is coming out later this year and as suggested will focus on a team of Spartans.