Halo 4 screens and concept art show new Chief, Cortana, and Covenant

Here's a goodly heap of leaked image and concept art from Halo 4 (via All Games Beta), whose development some of you might be following as it's an interesting-looking sci-fi game from a promising new studio. Oh yeah, and because it's the fourth in one of the biggest series of the last decade, the return of one of gaming's most iconic faceless ciphers, and apparently the first installment in what 343 hopes will be a decades-long future for the franchise.

With the Halo 4 release date announced for November 2012, expect to see plenty more glimpses of the reborn Chief and Cortana. And rest assured that there's no shortage of Halo when you're done with this one. 343's Josh Holmes explains that the game has no plans to enter into the pantheon of gaming's grittiest reboots, calling the title “a very deliberate continuation of a story that's already in motion.”

Franchise director Frank O'Connor echoes this theme, telling the Toronto Sun it's his hope that the series can last into the 2030s: “The technology will change, people's habits will change, we will kill off characters and resurrect others.” O'Connor says the series, whose emotional linchpin involves a walking tank and his imaginary girlfriend, will continue “for as long as it makes sense.” We're looking forward to following the games' progress well into our twilight years.