Gamers were rightfully worried when Halo 4 was announced. Bungie, the developers who created the franchise, had completed their Halo trilogy and even thrown in a prequel with Halo Reach. The Ark is destroyed. What more is there to say?

A lot, it turns out. The Halo universe has grown far beyond the video games, and now has a backstory that spans books and other media. The new Halo live-action web series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is proof of that. There is plenty of material from which to continue the story of Master Chief.

It also appears that Microsoft has made the right choice in selecting 343 Industries to continue the Halo franchise. Last month, Halo 4 Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill explained how 343 is both staying true to the Halo formula and forging ahead with new ideas and gameplay options. From the quality seen in all of the previews, Halo 4 could end up being one of the best Halo games in the series.

For those who haven’t kept up with the numerous trailers and developer documentary shorts, today’s launch trailer focuses more on the gameplay and setting of Halo 4. It serves as the gameplay launch trailer companion to the more story-heavy semi-live-action launch trailer released last week. It also helps introduce gamers to the Prometheans, the Forerunners who (presumably) built the Halos and once battled the flood.