Halo 5 Master Chief
Master Chief in Halo 5: Guardians Microsoft

Lead Halo developer 343 Industries has revealed that it will not debut Halo 6 at Microsoft's E3 2017 press conference on Sunday 11 June, but will be in attendance to show off a new project of some kind.

343 community manager Brian Jarrard said on Reddit this past weekend: "We've said this already but we'll have a little something at E3 but it's not related to the next major entry in the franchise."

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Jarrard was reiterating a statement from Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who revealed in March that Halo 6 would not be at Microsoft's annual showcase.

What though, could 343's "little something" be?

It was revealed last year that the Halo franchise will return to PCs thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, which sees Xbox One exclusives released simultaneously on PC, through Windows 10, with cross-save and cross-play support.

So, ahead of Halo 6 heading to PC, could we see Halo 5: Guardians or Halo: The Master Chief Collection make the leap? Perhaps 343 will release a new Master Chief Collection that also includes the latest Halo.

With Microsoft's show set to focus on Project Scorpio, the new upgraded Xbox One hardware, 343 could also provide a little something to help sell the machine when it launches later this year.

A Halo game in a similar vein to Halo 3: ODST – even in the form of an expansion for Guardians, is a possibility, if not a likelihood.

How about a 10th anniversary remaster of Halo 3? Well, no. Jarrard shut that down instantly in the same Reddit thread.

Halo 6 is on its way, that much is certain, and 343 has been open about its existence even if it hasn't been discussing the game directly. In April 343 inferred that Halo 6 would focus more heavily on series protagonist Master Chief following fan backlash against Halo 5.

"Doubling down on Master Chief story and the amount of focus on him was probably the easiest learning from Halo 5. That was a really simple thing to absorb and embrace," said franchise director Frank O'Connor.

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Halo E3 2017 Microsoft 343 Industries