TheHalofranchise has experienced a lot of changes over the years, with the iconic shooter franchise understandably having to adapt to the shifting expectations of the industry over its 23-year existence. The 2021 release ofHalo Infinitewas billed as the start of a new era for the franchise but fell short of the mark in the eyes of some players. With the future of the franchise seemingly in question ever since then, a recent spate of surprising announcements seem to finally be delivering on this promise of a new era forHalo.
On October 6, a comprehensive community update for theHalofranchise was posted to Halo Waypoint, outlining some massive changes that will alter the very fabric of the series going forward. This update also included a shocking rebrand for 343 Industries and the indication of a range of futureHaloprojects, understandably kicking up a lot of discussion within the IP’s community. These changes go right down to the way all futureHalotitles will be developed, painting a fascinating picture of the beloved franchise’s next steps.
Halo’s Future Will Be Defined By a New Game Engine and Development Approach
The robust community update recently posted to Halo Waypoint is titled “A New Dawn,” and this seems very apt for how differentHalois set to become from this point forward. Immediately,343 Industries announced that it was officially rebranding to Halo Studios, showing a new level of dedication towards the franchise that it took over from Bungie in 2012.
343’s time in control of theHalofranchise has been a rocky one, with many fans regarding the Bungie-led titles as the nostalgic “golden era” of the IP. There have been manyhighs and lows forHalounder the 343 nameover the years, and this rebrand to Halo Studios is hopefully a testament to the company turning over a new leaf and looking firmly towards a much brighter future for the franchise.
This rebrand comes simultaneously with another huge change forHalo, with it being announced that allfutureHalotitles will be developed using Unreal Engine 5. This state-of-the-art game engine is renowned for its high fidelity and optimized performance, while generally including much more streamlined software that greatly helps the development process of huge titles.Halohas always been known for the atmospheric visuals of its varied environments, and the recently released Unreal Engine renders ofHalolocations show how this element of the franchise can be built upon going forward.
Halo’s Use of its New Game Engine Should Constantly Improve Over Time
Halo Studios also mentioned the existence of Project Foundry, an ever-evolving tech framework that will serve as the blueprint for allHalotitles going forward, allowing the studio to experiment and fully utilizeall the technological advancements that Unreal Engine 5 offers. The New Dawn post also confirmed that there are multiple newHaloprojects currently in development, with this new era for the franchise seemingly already well underway.
A wide range of new job positions were also announced for Halo Studios to supplement these fresh projects, with fans potentially being in store for the mostHalocontent that they have seen for quite some time coming in the near future.News aroundHalohas been few and far between since the launch ofHalo Infinite, yet the recent New Dawn community update finally paints a confident and ambitious approach to a new identity for the franchise, hopefully painting a bright future for such an iconic and longstanding gaming IP.
