Let’s not beat around the bush: Halo management by 343 Industries has been nothing short of shameful, and it serves as a warning to the rest of the gaming world. Halo Infinite is a nonentity in the multiplayer space, and no one has any idea how the main story will proceed. Halo needs a systemic shock, and in the past few hours we’ve gotten a glimpse of its future: the disappearance of 343 Industries in favor of Halo Studios, and the definitive adoption of Unreal Engine 5, marking the retirement of the Slipspace engine.
Halo 4 hit shelves in November 2012. It sold $220 million in its first day alone and was warmly received despite the technical limitations that the Xbox 360 was beginning to exhibit. Two years later, 343 Industries decided to pack the entire Halo universe into a single package, The Master Chief Collection… and it’s enough to say its launch was a disaster. From that point on, fans realized that something was profoundly wrong at 343.
The abysmal narrative turn in Halo 5 (in fact, its only positive aspect is the multiplayer), and the “half game” that Halo Infinite turned out to be (because no one in their right mind can call it finished), combined with its virtual non-existence in the online space (it averages around 2,000 players on Steam), bring us to the current situation: Halo fans hate 343 Industries. With the Master Chief in intensive care, the question is: How do you save the franchise? The first step is obvious: kill 343 Industries.
343 Industries is dead, and Halo Studios is born
The goal of Halo Studios is, from a certain point of view, to “escape the trap” that captured 343 Industries: being both a technology company and a game developer at the same time. The decision is to abandon the former and focus entirely on the latter, confirming one of the worst-kept secrets: Halo abandons the Slipspace engine and adopts Unreal Engine 5.
The video also serves as a sort of demo for Project Foundry. This is not a new title, but a research and training ground inspired by previous games (read: Forge/Foundry). The project is spread across three different scenarios: something old, something new, and something truly alien. The first is based in the Pacific Northwest, classic Halo with waterfalls and dense forests. The Cold Lands allowed developers to experiment with shaders and deformable terrain, and the Plagued Lands, which symbolize any terrain consumed by the Flood.
And that’s it. Naturally, fans reacted with caution. Too many consecutive disappointments put anyone on guard, but one thing is certain: Halo deserves more, and better.
Official announcement: Click here
