: I don't think that's true for well conceptualized fictional universes (of
: which I believe halo is one) - but storytellers can run out of good ideas.
: It may also be possible for bad storytellers to close off options for
: storytellers in the future. Because of those universe-closing
: storytellers, that's when the demographic can start getting bored.

There is no difference between a universe that can't be used to tell good stories and a universe that won't be used to tell good stories because the writers in charge don't know how.

Even if we posit that Halo has room for many more stories (it does) and 343i has the writers to tell them (They don't), Halo's design elements haven't gotten stale. Revamping those design elements isn't going to help anything.

: Gears of War, for example, I think is a much less capable universe than Halo
: (which is not a bad thing, of course) merely because the plot focus was
: always around the events of the games. They attempted to expand the
: universe to lengthen the franchise. Some love it, but I don't think the EU
: has nearly the visibility and reach that Halo does.

I can't speak for Gears of War because I never played those games, but I can speak from experience of a similar universe with a very closed story.

StarCraft was a great game with a great story, but the universe built around it only ever had room for one or two great stories. The first installment tied things up nicely and left a sequel hook, but the second installment was messier. It played too loose with the timeline, it introduced the UED without letting them impact the Korprulu Sector in any meaningful way, and it made too many characters play the fool to build up Kerrigan. The Queen of Blades is an interesting character who should have come out on top, but she needed worthy opponents. Probably most damning of all, the writers painted themselves into a corner by ending Brood War with every faction destroyed save the Zerg.

Outside of those two games, the StarCraft story is a really sad state. None of it was written with the setting in mind; it's all Starship Troopers-esque beatdowns between the Terrans and the Zerg, or it features the Protoss at the far mystical end of the Sufficiently Advanced Science spectrum. None of it treats the Terrans as having the technology to fabricate heavy machinery and cybernetics from the junk they find lying around, and the fact that the Protoss would be the most powerful race in the sector if they'd just quit bickering for ten minutes is ignored.

So, basically, StarCraft's story suffers because the writers can't get a handle on the universe. Add to that all the bad habits that Blizzard picked up while writing World of WarCraft, and you've got an unbelievable mess.

: Halo on the other hand has always hinted at more . Just more. There was a
: rich history, and not just human history. So inasmuch as ancient history
: remaining ancient mystery is a Good Thing, there was always room for more
: storytelling.

StarCraft had that too. The Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Protectorate were as big as the Terran Confederacy, but you'll never know that from playing the games or reading the books*. The Protoss had a schism between Khala and Nerazim, and they had an empire that spanned entire sectors of the galaxy before war and decay forced them to give up their distant colonies. But the order in which they occurred and how long ago they occurred depends on what makes the most convenient story.

So, lesson learned: all the mystery and plot hooks in the world can't help you if you don't have the writers** to skillfully exploit them.

*An exception would be I, Mengsk, which is what happens when Blizzard hires a professional writer.
**Fuck you, Abrams.

: Right now, I still believe that Halo has enough wiggle room to remain a
: strong brand, and rich universe for storytelling, with unique characters,
: events and places, without going stale. As long as there are Good
: Storytellers. who understand the conceptualized Halo Universe (not just
: telling a 'good story').

Tell me, who in 343i's employ do you think understands either of those?