Halo fans have been waiting for 343 Industries to continue the series' story. Halo 5: Guardians ended on a cliffhanger, so Halo Infinite will be necessary to experience the full story that 343 started in 2012 with Halo 4. The extra delay of Halo Infinite in 2020 hurt, but it seems 343 Industries isn't without its sympathies. In the latest development update for Halo Infinite, 343 slipped in something for fans who are anxiously awaiting the return of Master Chief.
An audio file has been found attached to a phrase in 343's latest development blog. The text of the link reads "stories to be found," hidden within a response from Halo Infinite's world design lead John Mulkey. The response is intriguing, as it has to do with 343 pursuing a "spiritual reboot" with Halo Infinite. Mulkey's answer is that Halo Infinite is intended to "deliver on the 'promise' of the original [Halo]," if it had the technology 343 does today.
The audio log contains a conversation between Dr. Halsey, the creator of the SPARTAN-II Program that led to Master Chief; one of her attendants, or at least someone tuned in to the ongoing conflict between Cortana and the United Earth Government; and later Master Chief himself. The dialogue appears to come soon after Halo 5's unlockable scene when beating the game on Legendary difficulty. The scene shows Master Chief arriving on the planet Sanghelios and meeting with Halsey.
To summarize the audio log, it begins with Halsey and her attendant discussing Cortana's current attack on the UEG. They mention 16 systems being shut down, seemingly at random, and the futility of trying to stop her. Master Chief then enters the conversation, asking what the plan is. Halsey describes how Cortana is persuading sentient AI across the galaxy to side with her and that humanity is in "survival mode." Halsey then says they may not be uniting against Master Chief, however.
The implication of Halsey's words is clear: She perhaps believes Master Chief has an opportunity to stop the AI attack due to his relationship with Cortana. How that opportunity will manifest will likely come together in Halo Infinite, unless 343 has some more audio logs to share.
Regardless of how this fits into Halo Infinite story-wise, it is an exciting way for 343 to share more about its upcoming game, despite it being months away from launch. Halo fans will be watching 343's development blogs for more details from here on, or at least so long as the developer continues to offer teasers.
Halo Infinite releases in 2021 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Halo Waypoint