: Also,

: This is a parallel with the evolution of the Halo fanbase, I think. Consider
: when Xbox launched, Halo fans (even Xbox fans) were like the II's, like
: you describe. Now the (prominent) community (whether engineered or not) is
: much like the IV's. Or vice versa - the Spartans (and related events) have
: evolved (by the creators) alongside the community, likely to help them
: 'connect' with Halo fans.
: *cries*

But it's not the dudebro portion of the audience that cares about the "expanded universe", or really any fiction beyond MP. It's still the nerds, more or less. Yet the focus of the Halo EU media (Spartan Ops, Initiation, Escalation, Spartan Assault, etc.) has been almost exclusively on the Spartan-IVs. It is possible 343i is trying to get the Mtn Dew/Doritos crowd into the extended fiction, but I suspect the only result they get is alienating the original lore fans.

I still think the shift has more to do with writers simply being uncomfortable about the S-IIs and IIIs. And the IVs are safer from a business perspective, too, as they have none of the IIs or IIIs' morally shady baggage about them that might upset someone's mom. They're also easier to write—just follow action cliches. Writing about the classic SPARTANs would require thought and world-building, like the way Nylund came up with their various unique means of nonverbal communication.