: - If your question starts with the phrase “Will we ever…” it’s pretty much
: out of the running right from the beginning. From “Will we ever see the
: Flood return?” to “Will we ever see Chief die?”, if you are asking us to
: essentially give something away, you can bet we are going to avoid it. And
: really, isn’t that better for everyone? We want fans to experience the
: stories in the best ways possible, complete with twists and turns that
: hopefully you might not always see coming.

: - Trying to pin down absolutes is also something to avoid. “Are all/is every
: one of the _____ dead/destroyed/vanished/retired/etc?” Questions that try
: to corral things into a corner are a slippery slope that we’d all best
: avoid.

: - "When is *game/book/comic* coming out? Will there be equipment
: abilities in Halo 9: Definitive Anniversary Remastered GOTY Edition? Will
: SWAT come back?" This is more for Canon Fodder specifically, but just
: to be clear, answering pretty much anything gameplay related is always
: going to be off the table for this particular platform.

: It's great to see 343i come out and ask their fans not to bother with the
: above questions, and I wish more creators would lay down these ground
: rules.

"And really, isn’t that better for everyone? We want fans to experience the stories in the best ways possible, complete with twists and turns that hopefully you might not always see coming."

I strongly disagree. Having a more open dialogue with fans is one of the best ways to get an idea of what direction would benefit your product the most, and doesn't require you to sacrifice your company's integrity. Having the "just wait and see!" approach is how we end up with god-awful mess after mess with 343. Just look at how stupid "New Blood" is, despite them saying "Ho boy, the fans are gonna love this!"

People ask because they want to, if nothing else, remind 343 that there is an existing market for "x", whatever it may be. It tells them that people care, and would like to know that they are acknowledged. Saying "Don't bother asking anything, because we won't say" is effectively shutting the door in thousands of people's faces. That's not how you rebuild a sputtering franchise.

There's a game that I play where the developers are extremely open with fans, and even involve them in the creative process (How much better is "Fistful of Arrows" than 343's "Hah! Jun is alive because Shut Up! We can't come up with a good reason so deal with it."), and the product is all the better for it.

On the flipside, when a company has outright lied to the fans as much as 343i has, maybe mum is the word, for their sake.

:These spaces should be used to ask for clarification on confusing plot points, bits of tangential lore that
: haven't been expanded upon, or for questions about the development process itself.

"Let's see what BS 343 uses to caulk the holes in the universe this week!"

: I'm confused by the clarification about the Zealot. I'm not sure if they are
: their own special thing, or if the difference between them and the other
: ranks of Elites is the same as the difference between officers and
: non-coms.

: The Covenant's chain of command just got a lot more confusing.

It's a typical BS answer. Rather than acknowledge any mistake or need for revision, 343 stays true to themselves and makes it seem like this was the plan "The whole all along!". Of course, Bungie was the first to drop the ball by changing the colors around every single game, but Reach was intended to be the reset button for design and structure, for better or worse. And then 343 went Full 343 and said "this artist guy we hired surely knows what he's doing!" And haven't recovered since (although the latest book cover has my hopes up slightly).

Tl;dr I think a more open and honest dialogue with fans is the way to go. Sometimes you won't have all of the answers, but that's better than making crap up or dismissing the question altogether.