Earlier this yr, Microsoft introduced some restructuring plans, which impacted many components of the enterprise. On the gaming facet, 343 Industries was hit the toughest with a whole lot of lay-offs, together with many of the marketing campaign group that had labored on Halo Infinite. Now, rumours declare {that a} new small-scale group has been set as much as start constructing the following Halo recreation utilizing Unreal Engine.
While I did take pleasure in Halo Infinite, it did not change into the large, franchise-reinvigorating recreation that many had been hoping for. After the sport’s launch, many builders spoke up about points at 343 Industries, revealing that the SlipSpace engine nonetheless had loads of points and relied closely on legacy code from the older Halo video games. Now, 343 Industries appears to be pivoting in a brand new route.
According to the Seasoned Gaming on the Bitcast podcast, 343 Industries has arrange a group to work on the following Halo recreation and they’re utilizing Unreal Engine. Of course, Halo Infinite additionally had some prototype work finished in Unreal Engine, earlier than all growth moved over to the studio’s personal engine. However, after suggestions from growth on Infinite, we would not be shocked to see the following Halo recreation lastly transfer over to Unreal.
As for after we would possibly see a brand new Halo recreation, if early work is simply simply starting this yr, it’s going to take a number of extra years to construct out the sport, check it and ship it. Given that we already know to count on next-gen consoles in 2028, the following Halo might find yourself being a send-off for the Xbox Series X, or an early next-gen recreation for Microsoft’s subsequent console.
KitGuru Says: While I’ve little question that there’s work being finished on a brand new Halo recreation at 343 Industries, we’re nonetheless thus far off from that recreation turning into actuality that it feels a bit foolish to be speaking about it now. In the meantime, Halo Infinite continues to get multiplayer-focused updates, together with some model new Firefight maps as a part of the sport’s fifth season.
