Microsoft has been saying for years now that it wants to get away from numbered Halo games, but some fans were still left scratching their heads when the new game was revealed at E3 as Halo: Infinite and not Halo 6. Now, 343's Jeff Easterling has spoken up to stress that Halo: Infinite is Halo 6, even if it's not specifically called that.

"It is Halo 6," Easterling said during a recent Mixer broadcast. "You should just consider it Halo 6. Don't think of it as a weird prequel kind of thing. It's the next story. It's the next chapter in what is going on."

Studio head Chris Lee already confirmed that Halo: Infinite is a direct sequel to 2015's Halo 5: Guardians. It's also been confirmed that the new game will focus more on Master Chief, which is notable because Halo 5 split time between Chief and Agent Locke.

It's good to hear 343 start to talk about what Halo: Infinite is, but we still have so much more we want to know. While the trailer at E3 was impressive, it was for the new game engine, Slipspace, and not the game itself. Microsoft has not yet shown any gameplay. There are also rumours that the game will release in at least two parts, with single-player arriving at the end of 2019 followed by multiplayer in 2020. None of this is confirmed at this point, however.

Intriguingly, 343 has said that the studio is "making changes to how we approach things" with Halo: Infinite. 343 is also hoping to take players to "new and unexpected directions" with the game. These vague statements could mean a number of things, and the possibilities are exciting to think about. It seems encouraging that 343 isn't rushing things with Halo: Infinite, and while that game might not be out soon, Halo 5 and Halo: MCC continue to get new updates and refreshes on a semi-regular basis.

For more on everything we know about Halo: Infinite so far, check out GameSpot's roundup of all the key pieces of news and rumours.