Microsoft Differentiates Halo From Call of Duty

Developer 343 says that it comes down to story.

According to 343 Industries executive producer Dan Ayoub, the difference between Halo and Call of Duty is Halo's deep and enthralling story.

"I think what differentiates us as a brand from CoD is our story," Ayoub said. "I think one of the reasons Halo's been around as long as it has is that there's a really rich story, a huge universe--we have so many stories that we can tell."

Ayoub teased that 343 Industries has "only scratched the surface" regarding the stories it could tell in the Halo universe.

"People really care about Johnson, Cortana, the Arbiter and want to know what's going to happen to them," he said. "I think that just creates not only a loyalty but an eagerness, and when I think about why Halo's been around so long, it always comes back down to that--on top of just amazing gameplay."

Ayoub went on to say that Halo 2's multiplayer is the "granddaddy" of all modern online FPS games. "They've all borrowed and built off of what Halo 2 innovated," he said.

The most recent entry in the series is Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and was released on Xbox One last week. The next core game in the franchise is 2015's Halo 5: Guardians. A beta for that game begins next month.