With the upcoming Halo 4 release, 343 Industries faces the monumental responsibility of delivering the next major entry in a franchise which has become synonymous with its developer, Bungie. On the Halo Waypoint blog, Frank O'Connor, Franchise Development Director at 343 Industries, recently wrote a letter summarizing the game's development cycle.

"There are groups, subgroups, cliques, cults even, that love the sheer variety of experience it [Halo] offers. Take Forge folks - for example - for whom we've tried to make more and better tools, while retaining the playable, approachable tools that experience brings," O'Connor said. He added that "community cartographers" will get a "somewhat early" build of Halo 4 so that maps are available to download from day one of the release.

343 Industries is also working with fans who want to explore and perform "stupid tricks" in the Campaign and Spartan Ops environments, along with professional and competitive Halo players, to "make sure that the competitive aspects of the game meet or exceed that community's desires and expectations".

O'Connor described the game as new, yet familiar. He referred to new modes, including Infinity Slayer, and pointed out that classic Halo gametypes will return.

"And for the cynics, an understandable position and one we respect, I think the game may even surprise you guys. Of course time and player experience will tell, but there have been many moments that have deepened my confident of where we are," O'Connor said, referring to sections of the gaming community who describe the game as similar to Call of Duty.

The Franchise Development Director also cautioned that as Halo 4 continues to approach, matchmaking support for Halo: Reach will decrease.

343 Industries has been heavily involved with Bungie's final entry in the Halo series, patching issues such as Armor Lock, seen by fans as overpowered, while introducing new playlists. O'Connor revealed that Behind the Scenes videos and direct feed footage will feature in greater volume than previously.

Halo 4 will be released on Nov. 6 for the XBox 360.