Bungie has restated that Halo: Reach will be a standalone entry into the series, and that in terms of content, “Halo: Reach for us is not Halo 4.”

“It’s not a continuation of the Master Chief story, nor is it the start of a new trilogy. For us, it’s a completely standalone game,” executive producer Joseph Tung told the latest issue of Edge Magazine. “Without giving anything away, there’s certainly some cool stuff we’re doing in Reach that will encourage people to replay the campaign. There are going to be some big surprises in the campaign.”

“We desired to make a standalone title, something that is the culmination of a decade of our efforts building Halo titles,” creative director Marcus Lehto added.

Halo: Reach will be released this fall for the Xbox 360.