Halo 4 is Microsoft’s Biggest Franchise, New Promethean Enemy Spotted

We've always known that Halo games are expensive to make, but thanks to a new interview with the newly launched Polygon, Microsoft Studios head Phil Spector has made it clear that the upcoming Halo 4 is "absolutely" the most expensive game Microsoft has ever invested in.

Speaking to the website, Spector said that no other game they've ever made even comes close to the amount of money they've spent on Halo 4's development.

In a Joystiq report, Jessica Conditt notes that Halo 3: ODST's development was estimated to average out at $60 Million, half of which went on the game's marketing. The game earned more than $170 million from its first day sales and went on to earn even more in the following days and weeks.

Returning to the Polygon interview, Phil Spector called Halo a $3 billion franchise, putting it right up there with EA's The Sims and Activision's Call of Duty.

In related news, a new freeze-frame still of a Halo 4 reveals what appears to be a new Promethean enemy in the game's single player campaign. Although speculation of its purpose is abound, we've been informed that the device is a Promethean anti-air gun that the Master Chief will have to destroy at some point during the game's single-player campaign. Cool.

Halo 4 is set for release on November 6. It is exclusive to the Xbox 360.