Big changes are coming to the Halo franchise, with a switch to Unreal Engine 5, a renamed developer, and a new plan for the future.
Last night, we got our first look at the next phase of Halo, courtesy of a developer diary released by the development team at Halo Studios. That’s right, the team formerly called 343 Industries has adopted a new name as part of this new era for the series, and it all stems from the shift to Unreal Engine 5.
Up until now, the series was built on the proprietary Slipspace Engine, but that posed its own problems. Between a rapidly evolving industry with changing expectations from players, the need to build the tech behind the games while also making said games, and the struggles of getting new hires up to speed with the Slipspace Engine, a change was needed.
“The way we made Halo games before doesn’t necessarily work as well for the way we want to make games for the future,” says Halo Studios COO Elizabeth van Wyck in an interview with Xbox Wire. “So part of the conversation we had was about how we help the team focus on making games, versus making the tools and the engines.”
Changing to Unreal Engine 5 will make development easier on the team, partly because of its fresh set of features. One key benefit is the fact that unlike Slipspace, Unreal is more or less an industry standard, so any new hires will be able to hit the ground running once brought on board.
This brings us to Project Foundry, a stunning proof of concept for what Halo will be on Unreal Engine 5. To be clear, Project Foundry isn’t a game, nor is it a tech demo. It’s described as “a true reflection of what would be required for a new Halo game using Unreal, and a training tool for how to get there.”
Even with this in mind, what the team is showing with Project Foundry right now looks amazing. We see three biomes, the first of which is a woodlands area that’s akin to your standard Halo environment with lots of foliage. Next is a snow covered space called the Coldlands that shows off impressive lighting, textures and weather effects. Lastly, there’s the Blightlands, a beautifully disgusting region that’s been overtaken by the Flood. This area in particular looks unlike anything we’ve seen in a Halo game.
Environments aren’t all we got to see though. We also got a look at how Master Chief and the Elites look in the new engine. Master Chief looks great in his classic Combat Evolved armor, which shows an impressive amount of detail. The classic pistol he’s holding also features some stunning textures that show off its slick metallic sheen. Elites look just as lovely and their signature Energy Sword actually looks like it does in the CG cinematics we’ve received over the years.
It’s easy to see this and think we won’t see anything like it from actual games, but Halo Studios plans to subvert that expectation. “It’s fair to say that our intent is that the majority of what we showcased in Foundry is expected to be in projects which we are building, or future projects,” said Studio Head Pierre Hintze. Importantly, the team stresses that they’re not just focused on the visuals, but also making sure that future games still feel like the Halo when you play them.
Yes, the team is currently working on multiple new Halo games. Previously the team was only able to focus on one game at a time, but now, with a new internal structure at Halo Studios and a new game engine in Unreal, they can have more than one project going simultaneously.
“We had a disproportionate focus on trying to create the conditions to be successful in servicing Halo Infinite,” says Hintze. “[But switching to Unreal] allows us to put all the focus on making multiple new experiences at the highest quality possible.”
That said, we won’t be hearing much about these new games until the team is ready to show them off as they want to focus on making the games instead of continuously teasing them.
“We should talk about things when we have things to talk about, at scale,” said Hintze. “Today, it’s the first step – we’re showing Foundry because it feels right to do so – we want to explain our plans to Halo fans, and attract new, passionate developers to our team. The next step will be talking about the games themselves.”
Halo Infinite will remain on the Slipspace Engine and continue to be supported with new content, but it marks the last chapter in the previous era of the franchise. Project Foundry marks the beginning of a new chapter in Halo’s life, and it’s one that I’m holding out hope for.
The shift to Unreal Engine 5 was first reported on last year by Bloomberg following mass layoffs that hit the studio, effectively shelving any plans for new single-player content in Halo Infinite. That report also indicated that the first Unreal Engine 5 game in the franchise will be one that’s codenamed Tatanka. This particular game has been rumored for years now, with co-developer Certain Affinity assisting on the project. It was once claimed to be a battle royale game, though that may no longer be the case.
Earlier this year, The Verge reported that a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster was in the works, and could potentially release on PlayStation 5. While Project Foundry isn’t confirmation of anything, the footage of Master Chief in his original armor does lend credence to that report.
The Halo franchise has been in a state of limbo for some time now. Halo Infinite was meant to be a grand return for the series, and while many liked it (including myself), it failed to land in a meaningful way. Watching this video and hearing what the team has to say about the series, I can’t help but be optimistic. Halo is an important series for Xbox and the gaming landscape as a whole. It should be looked at in high regard by us all, so hopefully this fresh start for the series will be exactly what it needs to get back on track.
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