Microsoft felt Halo franchise was at an end before 343 head Bonnie Ross took over

Killing off Halo seems like an unthinkable move, yet that was Microsoft's attitude when 343 studio head Bonnie Ross took over.

Back before Bonnie Ross, the studio head at 343 Industries, was hired to build this studio, there was an attitude at Microsoft that Halo was done, but Ross took the job anyway to change that attitude.

"People felt like, Let’s get another Halo or two out, and it’s the end of the franchise," she told Bloomberg.

"The thing I asked for was: If I take it over, I want to be George Lucas. I want to own everything, and I want to do things differently."

Microsoft's Frank O’Connor, then of Bungie, too was amazed by Ross's knowledge and passion for the game's lore. "Bonnie came in and really surprised everyone," he said.

"Because she’d read all the novels, she was deeply immersed in the fiction, and she’d played all the games."

Halo 5: Guardians is out now and the game's received mostly high praise thus far.