Xbox 720 Will Get Halo 5; Release Date Fall 2013 Likely

There aren't many details on the next generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony, but it looks like game developers are beginning to gear up for the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4. In an interview with the Seattle Times via The Examiner, 343 franchise development director Frank O'Connor hinted that the developer was already at work on the next Halo installment for the next Xbox. 

When asked, "You're presumably working on the next version -- "Halo 5" or whatever it's going to be called will be the anchor tenant on the next version of the Xbox, right?" O'Connor responded:

"We've done as much prototyping and storytelling and the future arc of the universe as we have on technology. So we're definitely working on the future but in some ways it's technologically agnostic at this point."

The Seattle Times also pointed out how critical a Halo game is to the success of the Xbox 720.

"We definitely have a lot of smart people inside the studio and outside the studio thinking about future technology and future development, for sure," O'Connor said.

So while we still don't know what exactly the Xbox 720 is, we can be sure that a next-gen Halo game will accompany the system early on. 

The next-gen Xbox should be coming out in 2013, according to a report last month. 

"Next year is probably the right time for the new consoles," said Matt Edmunds, COO of Stainless Games to Trusted Reviews in an interview. 

Trusted Reviews also reports also that we should be seeing the Xbox 720 unveiled at the 2013 E3, and that it should release sometime in the fall of 2013. 

Both Microsoft and Sony are confident that the current Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles still have plenty of juice in them, so expect support and games to continue over the next couple years. But with Nintendo releasing the Wii U this month, both Microsoft and Sony will probably try and show off something next-gen in 2013 to keep gamers interested.