What's next for "Halo": Unreal Engine 5 and expansion of the development team

"Halo" fans have had to fear for the future of the legendary game series since the beginning of 2023. The last game in the series, "Halo Infinite", was released in 2021. Since then, the developer studio, 343 Industries, which belongs to Microsoft, has not been able to rest. High-ranking employees had left the studio and in early 2023 at least 95 employees, around a third of the workforce, were put out on the street as part of a major wave of redundancies. There were also rumours of a switch from the self-developed Slipspace Engine to the Unreal Engine. However, Microsoft had not confirmed this switch.

Until now: The studio showed a video entitled "A New Dawn", roughly translated as "A New Beginning", as part of the "Halo World Championship" e-sports event. In it, some developers report on the current status of the studio and its projects. Several new games are currently in the works. And after the wave of redundancies last year, the team is to be expanded again. "It feels like a new beginning," says Dan Gniady, Lead Game Designer. To emphasise this, 343 Industries has renamed itself and is now called "Halo Studios".

Tech demo shows what fans can expect in the future

Lead FX artist Daniel Henley says: "The original 'Halo' was a graphics showcase. It was the best of its kind. [...] And that's what 'Halo' has to be again." Impressive, graphically elaborate worlds are therefore on the cards. However, according to Chris Matthews, the studio art director, the old Slipspace engine is based on 25-year-old code components. This means that no great leaps can be made.

To optimise the engine for new requirements would require too much effort. Being a tech company and a games studio at the same time is simply not efficient, says Elizabeth van Wyck, Chief Operating Officer of the studio, in the video. Unreal Engine 5, on the other hand, makes it possible to develop graphically very elaborate worlds with a high level of detail. The aim is to offer fans something they have never experienced before.

The video shows a tech demo of "Project Foundry", a "crazy idea" from Matthews. Project Foundry is a kind of research project that allows the studio to test the technical possibilities and familiarise itself with the development process. The result can be seen: three pre-rendered, graphically impressive worlds with monumental alien technology in the landscape.

Master Chief can also be seen in this tech demo, hinting that he will be back as a main character in the future. However, there are no details about the upcoming games.