Microsoft has announced a new direction for the Halo series, including changing the name of its main development studio from 343 Industries to Halo Studios. This news was revealed just before the final match of the Halo World Championship tournament. Pierre Hintze remains as the studio head at Halo Studios, where a new chapter for the franchise is beginning.
One major change in this new chapter is the switch to using Epic’s Unreal Engine 5 for future Halo games, replacing 343 Industries’ Slipspace engine. The decision to switch engines was made due to the age of some components of Slipspace, with Unreal providing capabilities that were unavailable to the studio. This change also allows new employees to bring previous Unreal experience to the company.
While the gameplay footage shown in the announcement video was created using Unreal, it was emphasized that the footage should not be taken as a game announcement. Instead, it was the result of a project internally known as Project Foundry, where the studio explored the possibilities of Unreal Engine 5. Halo Studios has been quiet about future projects using Unreal, but it is clear that changes are on the horizon.
Halo Infinite will continue to be supported using the Slipspace engine, and the next season of its professional esports circuit has already been announced. The winner of this year’s Halo World Championships had yet to be determined at the time of the announcement. The rebranding of 343 Industries as Halo Studios follows news of significant layoffs at the studio in January 2023, leading to a substantial internal reorganization.
Halo is a crucial franchise for Microsoft’s gaming division, with the original game, Halo: Combat Evolved, being a key title for the success of the original Xbox. 343 Industries was established in 2007 to take over development of the Halo series from Bungie, but its handling of the franchise has been met with mixed reactions. The rebranding and switch to a new engine mark a fresh start for Halo, signaling a new chapter for the iconic series.
