343 Industries, the long-time developer of the Halo franchise, is making a major shift by renaming itself Halo Studios. The change comes as part of a broader plan to move all future Halo games to Unreal Engine 5. According to studio head Pierre Hintze, the decision to rebrand and switch engines aims to streamline game development and better serve the expectations of modern players. On the horizon are several new Halo games, currently in early development.
Previously, Halo games were built using the studio’s proprietary Slipspace Engine, but the challenges of maintaining the engine while developing new games led to this move. “We were trying to build tools for the future while also making games,” said Hintze in a blog post. The Unreal Engine 5 adoption will help focus resources where they’re most needed: on the games themselves.
Halo will continue to be the flagship franchise of the wider Xbox Game Studios. This is Microsoft’s collection of in-house game developers that mostly focus on first-party exclusives. There are some exceptions, such as Mojang with Minecraft. Microsoft recently bought ZeniMax Media, the company behind Bethesda Studios, for $7.5 billion. The company also closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year.
A New Direction with Unreal Engine 5
The shift to Unreal Engine 5 is not just about efficiency but also about keeping up with evolving player expectations. Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth van Wyck pointed out that developing new tools and engines alongside creating games was becoming impractical. “The way we used to make Halo games doesn’t match how we need to work today,” she explained. Unreal Engine 5, already a staple in modern game development, offers Halo Studios a more streamlined path to producing high-quality games faster.
Art Director Chris Matthews expanded on this, noting that some of the tools used in the Slipspace Engine date back nearly 25 years. “While Slipspace has evolved, it lacks features that Unreal has been refining for years,” he said, adding that replicating those capabilities in Slipspace would have required a considerable investment of time and resources.
Project Foundry: Exploring Halo’s Future
As part of this new approach, the team has been working on Project Foundry, an internal experiment designed to explore what a Halo game could look like in Unreal Engine 5. It’s not a full game or a tech demo but rather a showcase of new ideas and possibilities for the franchise.
According to Matthews, the assets developed through this project could be used in future Halo titles. The goal, he explained, was to create something that meets the high standards fans expect, without relying on the usual “smoke and mirrors” often found in tech demos.
Pierre Hintze emphasized that much of the content created during Project Foundry is expected to appear in upcoming games. While the studio isn’t ready to reveal specifics, Hintze confirmed that the project represents the beginning of a new chapter for the Halo series.
No Immediate Game Releases, But New Titles Are Coming
Although fans might be eager to see new games, Halo Studios has made it clear that no new releases are imminent. Halo Infinite, which still runs on the Slipspace Engine, will continue to receive updates, including more content for Forge mode and additional operations. However, future titles will be built from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5, allowing the studio to focus on delivering multiple new experiences simultaneously.
Hintze noted that the studio is taking a more measured approach to future announcements. “We don’t want to keep teasing ideas without anything concrete to show,” he said, acknowledging the need for a shift in how the studio communicates with its audience. Instead, Halo Studios plans to reveal more about their upcoming games only when there’s substantial progress to share.
Changes in Leadership and Future Focus
This rebranding and shift to Unreal Engine 5 comes after a series of leadership changes at the studio. Pierre Hintze and Elizabeth van Wyck now lead Halo Studios, following the departure of Bonnie Ross in 2022 and Joseph Staten in 2023. The studio’s focus is on building high-quality games for future Xbox consoles, including the next generation of the Xbox Series X|S.
While there’s no word yet on when the next Halo title will be released, Halo Studios is making it clear that it’s preparing for a fresh start. With Unreal Engine 5 at its core, the studio is positioning itself to deliver new experiences for fans and newcomers alike, marking a significant new direction for one of gaming’s most iconic franchises.
Last Updated on November 7, 2024 2:39 pm CET
