 Following Bungie 's split from Microsoft , 343 Industries – a studio established by Microsoft in 2009 – took the helm of the Halo franchise . 343 had already co @-@ developed the Halo Legends animated series and had overseen production of Halo : Reach and Halo : Combat Evolved Anniversary . The next game in the series , Halo 4 , was announced at E3 2011 as the first entry in what would be a new series of Halo games , also known as the " Reclaimer Trilogy " . The game included many staples of previous games , such as new or redesigned weapon types , an improved map @-@ editing tool and expanded multiplayer options and maps . Halo 4 was released worldwide on November 6 , 2012 , achieving record sales for the franchise . In a new addition to the series , a story @-@ driven multiplayer campaign entitled Spartan Ops was released over the weeks following Halo 4 's release , telling what happened after the end of the main game . 
