As a seasoned gaming enthusiast with over three decades of playing Halo, I can’t help but feel both excited and cautiously optimistic about the recent developments at Halo Studios. The rebranding to Halo Studios, the switch to Unreal Engine 5, and the new leadership team all signal a renewed commitment to creating games that truly resonate with players like me.
In early October 2024, it appeared suddenly that Microsoft made a significant change for its renowned Halo series. The company overseeing the series, 343 Industries, is now known as Halo Studios. They have several new games under development utilizing Epic’s Unreal Engine 5. Microsoft also admitted to past difficulties and promised a more promising future for the series after Halo Infinite.
In this article, we’ve gathered all the latest updates regarding the upcoming Halo games currently in production, including their release dates and additional information you might want to know.
Table of Contents [hide]
- What are the new games?
- What platforms are the new Halo games coming to?
- Tapping into Unreal and leaving Slipspace behind
- Microsoft’s vision
- The new team
- What happens next?
What are the new games?
Microsoft has officially revealed in a blog post that Halo Studios (formerly known as 343 Industries) is currently developing several unspecified Halo games. It’s yet to be determined whether Microsoft will handle the creation of all these games alone or collaborate with other studios. Joe Skrebels, from Microsoft, stated that Halo Studios is embarking on a fresh chapter rather than wrapping up an existing one, indicating that a new Halo game isn’t likely to be released soon, so fans should prepare for a wait.
Currently, Microsoft plans to keep providing updates for Halo Infinite, including new Operations and improvements to the Forge mode. While Halo Studios is focusing on upcoming projects, these enhancements are still in progress.
Regarding upcoming games, Microsoft hasn’t shared any details yet, but they have unveiled a trial version known as Project Foundry. This isn’t a new game or a traditional tech demo as Microsoft clarified. Instead, it serves as a demonstration of what it takes to develop a new Halo game using Unreal Engine, and a guide on the process to achieve that level of quality. The development of Foundry required the same dedication, procedures, and visual fidelity as if it were a released game itself.
According to Hintze, a large portion of what was displayed in the Project Foundry video is likely to appear in Halo Studios’ forthcoming creations, as it resembles the traditional style of Halo with its stunning landscapes featuring waterfalls and mountains.
What platforms are the new Halo games coming to?
At this stage, details about the upcoming Halo projects are scarce as Microsoft has yet to reveal which platforms will host their next lineup of Halo games. It’s anticipated that future Halo installments will be available on Xbox consoles, including the forthcoming next-gen Xbox system. There’s a strong possibility that Microsoft will also release these new Halo games on PC. Given that Halo Studios is collaborating with Unreal Engine 5, there may be an opportunity for the Halo series to make its way onto PlayStation 5, but this hasn’t been confirmed as of now.
Tapping into Unreal and leaving Slipspace behind
Among the significant revelations accompanying the studio’s name change and game introductions was the news that Halo Studios is transitioning from their exclusive game engine, Slipspace, to Unreal Engine 5. Previously, maintaining and developing Slipspace required a full team of staff members according to Hintze. With shifting gamer expectations, they now desire content more swiftly. Using Slipspace resulted in delays, but adopting Unreal Engine 5 is expected to provide the team with an enhanced level of speed and productivity, as mentioned by Hintze.
In simpler terms, Elizabeth van Wyck from Halo Studios stated, “Our previous methods for creating Halo games may not be as effective for our vision of future game development. Therefore, a significant part of our discussions revolved around assisting the team to concentrate on actually producing games, rather than developing tools and engines.
Chris Matthews, the art director at Studio, stated that Slipspace was not contemporary enough to achieve its objectives due to certain parts of it being approximately 25 years old. Despite the fact that 343 Industries were consistently working on it, there are elements in Unreal (which Epic has been enhancing for a while) that aren’t accessible in Slipspace and would have required significant effort and resources to emulate.
Previously employed Halo Infinite multiplayer developer, Patrick Wren, expressed on social platforms that working on Slipspace simultaneously with Halo Infinite was an extraordinarily challenging task, likening it to “constructing a boat while racing it concurrently.
The transition to Unreal Engine has sparked worries among some about potential changes to Halo’s distinctive gameplay. However, Van Wyck assures us that the team is confident they can create Halo games that maintain the series’ authentic spirit while still delivering on the grand scale and ambition of content desired by players, using Unreal Engine 5.
Nevertheless, since Microsoft hasn’t disclosed the types of games they are developing yet, it’s natural for fans to harbor doubts about what’s ahead following the disappointing reception of Halo Infinite by many.
One advantage of transitioning to Unreal Engine 5 is that Epic’s suite of tools is widely recognized by game developers throughout the industry. In contrast, a new recruit previously had to familiarize themselves with Slipspace; however, anyone joining the company now may already possess years of experience with Unreal, potentially streamlining the onboarding process.
Van Wyck emphasized that the time to market isn’t the only factor; it’s also crucial for us to consistently update our game, provide fresh content, and make adjustments based on player feedback. This involves not just the development process but also recruitment – how quickly can we train someone to create assets suitable for our game?
Microsoft’s vision
So far, Halo has experienced two significant phases: initially, Bungie, the original creators of the series, were responsible for development. Later on, 343 Industries took over and introduced games such as Halo 4, Halo 5, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and most recently, Halo Infinite. Now, according to Hintze, we are moving into Chapter 3 of the Halo saga, which focuses on improving development efficiency and altering the formula for creating Halo games. Moreover, Hintze hinted that Microsoft is making these significant announcements in an effort to attract talent to join Halo Studios as they embark on this new chapter. At this point, it seems we are only just beginning.
“It’s appropriate for us to discuss matters when there are topics worth discussing, in depth. Today, we are starting this process by revealing Foundry, as it seems fitting at this time. Our aim is to share our plans with Halo enthusiasts and attract talented developers who are passionate about joining our team. The subsequent stage will involve discussing the games themselves,” Hintze explained.
In the presented video documentary, Hintze demonstrated a touch of modesty by admitting that the previous business practices of 343 left room for improvement. He also hinted at promising changes to come for the fans in the future.
Halo Infinite represents the traditional approach we’ve taken when creating Halo games in the past, which served as our unique formula. However, at present, we are altering our tried-and-true methodology, or recipe, for something new.
The new team
Microsoft has formed a new leadership group at the helm of Halo’s development, aiming to shape its future. In a recent blog post, the company discussed alterations in culture, work patterns, and team structure for optimal success. As previously stated, Hintze and Van Wyck are spearheading Halo Studios now, with Matthews assuming the position of studio art director.
Previously, Matthews served as a co-founder and art director in the studio at Ridgeline Games, which unfortunately shut down while developing a new single-player Battlefield experience. Marcus Lehto, a fellow co-founder of Ridgeline and the co-creator of the Halo universe, considers Matthews an ideal choice to guide Halo Studios in their future endeavors. Prior to the release of Halo Infinite, its game director, Chris Lee, decided to pursue other ventures instead.
What happens next?
Microsoft and Halo Studios have not given any specific timeline for announcing the next Halo games or offering additional updates on studio activities. Hintze’s comments about waiting until the team has a genuine and substantial update to share indicate that we may need to wait a while longer before receiving any new information.
Currently, it seems that the change of 343 Industries to Halo Studios and the move to Unreal Engine 5 is aimed at attracting new talent to further develop their vision. Highlighting Project Foundry and discussing future plans might help in reaching these objectives and demonstrate to both old and returning fans that there’s an exciting array of Halo content on its way.
However, currently, it’s just talk and images; fans can only cross their fingers in anticipation that Halo Studios will create an engaging game worth looking forward to in the time to come.
In essence, if we focus on creating games that our players enjoy and desire, it’s the path to our success. This is what drives our development process. Moreover, this approach aligns with our structure, ensuring that those who work directly on the games daily are the ones making the decisions about the games themselves.
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2024-10-10 18:39