2018 will mark three years since the launch of Halo 5: Guardians, and fans still have yet to see anything concrete about Halo 6. However, since Halo is Xbox's flagship franchise, there is no question that the game is in active development at 343 Industries. Unfortunately for anyone hoping to play Master Chief's next adventure by the end of the year, though, that doesn't seem likely.

343 Industries recently addressed the community in a blog post, which suggests that Halo 6 may not release in 2018. In the post, 343 promises new "fun times" and adventures for its fans, but follows that up by saying, "No, not those adventures."

"Welcome back! To be frank (or Grim, really), I’m not sure if that’s a welcome back to us, or you guys, but let’s go with it either way. 2018 has arrived and with it, the promise of new fun times to be had and adventures to be embarked upon. No, not those adventures, but plenty of exciting ones regardless – some which might surprise you more than others."

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It seems likely that 343 is referring to Halo 6 when it says "not those adventures," but what's interesting about the post is that the studio still promises that 2018 will have some surprises in store for fans. These surprises could be anything, ranging from new content for Halo 5: Guardians to the long-rumored Halo 3 remake to new information on Halo 6.

Even though it's unlikely that Halo 6 will launch in 2018, it does seem probable that it will be formally introduced to the world at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference, so fans have that to look forward to at least. When 343 does finally decide to reveal Halo 6, hopefully it clears up recent rumors about the game, like it supposedly having a really high player count.

It will also be interesting to learn what platforms Halo 6 will be available for. While Halo 5 has remained a pure Xbox One exclusive, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has suggested that Halo 6 will also be available on PC, which could mean big things for the franchise. Whatever the case may be, 2018 should offer some clarification on Halo 6 and what fans can expect from the game, even if they won't necessarily get to play it this year.

Halo 6 is in development for Xbox One.

Source: 343 Industries