Halo team promises ‘official scoop' on series' future later this year
Last year, 343 Industries announced big changes were in store for the studio and the Halo series. For starters, the developer underwent a rebranding and is now called Halo Studios, dispelling rumours it was being kicked off the series.
It also confirmed that more than one new Halo video game is currently in development, though there's still no official word on what any of them are. However, the team did show test footage of how future games will look in Unreal Engine 5, as the developer finally replaces the aging Slipspace Engine used in Halo Infinite.
Anyone who hoped for a big reveal at last month's Xbox showcase was no doubt disappointed by the complete lack of Halo news, but that seems to be because it's being saved for the Halo World Championship esports event later this year.
In a new blog post about the event, Halo Studios references how it used last year's event to detail the aforementioned behind-the-scenes changes and its plans for multiple games.
As such, it intends to share the 'official scoop on what Halo Studios has been working on', so as to convince more people to attend the event live in Seattle, Washington, which is scheduled to run on the weekend of October 24.
The blog acknowledges the 'fair amount of speculation about when and where more details might emerge about any of the multiple projects Halo Studios is actively working on,' but stops short of discussing any specific rumours.
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
While we wouldn't be surprised if Halo Studios is teasing something more innocuous, the obvious assumption (and the one we're sure many fans will make) is that it's planning to properly show off one of the new Halo projects.
No official details on any future Halo games have been shared yet, but a common rumour is that a new remake of the very first game, Halo: Combat Evolved, is in the works.
Such a project could also see the series make its debut on PlayStation 5, thanks to Microsoft's new approach to releasing its exclusives on other platforms.
Another of Halo Studios' possible projects is a new mainline game to follow on from Halo Infinite. Earlier this year, a March report detailed the long-term plans for Halo Infinite's post-launch period and how those plans were ultimately scrapped.
It's possible some of those ideas are being reworked for a sequel, but Halo Studios could also have opted to start from scratch. Either way, the goal of supporting Halo Infinite for 10 years isn't happening, at least not to the degree the studio and Microsoft originally had in mind. More Trending
While Halo Infinite is a solid game, its post-launch suffered from long delays, abandoned content, and behind the scenes mismanagement. The multiplayer was never abandoned though, and has still seen updates and manages to regularly attract a few thousand players on Steam.
However, it's evident that Halo is no longer as significant to the Xbox brand as it was during the heyday of the original trilogy, which was handled by the now Sony owned Bungie.
Nevertheless, the changes within Halo Studios suggest there's a concerted effort to revitalise the series, especially with it being described as the 'next chapter.'
And while some diehard Xbox enthusiasts will balk at the idea of Halo on PlayStation (or Switch 2), it would certainly help reach a new audience, especially if the series really does go back to basics with a new version of the first game.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
MORE: Halo on PS5 now more likely thanks to Unreal Engine 5 claim multiple sources
MORE: Halo and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth coming to Switch 2 claims insider
MORE: Xbox to be hit by fourth wave of layoffs in 18 months says report
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Microsoft to cut 9,000 jobs as chatbots take over
Microsoft is cutting 9,000 jobs as executives order staff to delegate more work to artificial intelligence (AI). The $3.6 trillion (£2.7 trillion) technology giant will shed 4pc of its workforce, it confirmed on Wednesday, with redundancies hitting divisions including its Xbox arm and King, its mobile games studios. The job losses follow a round of cutbacks in May, when Microsoft laid off 6,000 staff including hundreds of middle-managers and engineering roles. The technology business had more than 228,000 employees at the end of its last fiscal year. 'We continue to implement organisational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,' a Microsoft spokesman said. The cuts come after Satya Nadella, Microsoft's chief executive, claimed that up to 30pc of the company's code was now being written by AI bots. Executives have been pushing staff to adopt more AI tools to speed up their work. Julia Liuson, the president of Microsoft's developer division, recently told managers to consider whether an employee was using AI enough as part of their performance reviews, according to Business Insider. 'Using AI is no longer optional,' she said in an email. 'It's core to every role and every level. AI should be part of your holistic reflections on an individual's performance and impact.' Threat to entry-level jobs The job cuts come amid growing fears that entry-level and engineering roles risk being replaced by AI bots. Tools such as ChatGPT can write emails or reports in plain English, generate code or create graphics and pictures. While tech executives have promised AI will help create more jobs than it destroys, there are already signs that some roles are disappearing from the jobs market. Software vacancies have fallen sharply since ChatGPT was released in November 2022. Executives are increasingly demanding programmers augment their roles with AI bots that can generate code themselves.
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Microsoft cuts another 9,000 roles in latest jobs cull
Microsoft is cutting about 9,000 jobs worldwide in the latest round of staff cuts as the US technology giant looks to slash costs. It is understood the job losses will impact less than 4% of its total workforce. A company spokesman said: 'We continue to implement organisational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace.' It marks the biggest jobs cull since early 2023 when the company cut 10,000 workers – almost 5% of its workforce at the time – amid a move in the wider tech sector to scale back expansion seen during the pandemic. The latest cuts are thought to impact different teams and country operations as part of efforts to cut layers of management. The company's gaming business is among areas where Microsoft will 'end or decrease work', according to an internal memo. 'To position gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft's lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness,' Phil Spencer, Microsoft's chief executive of gaming, said. The cuts come after Microsoft axed around 6,000 roles in May and some 1,000 in January. Microsoft employed 228,000 full-time workers as of last June, the last time it reported its annual headcount. About 55% were in the US.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Microsoft to cut about 4% of jobs amid hefty AI bets
July 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab will lay off nearly 4% of its workforce, the company said on Wednesday, in the latest job cuts as the tech giant looks to rein in costs amid hefty investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company, which had about 228,000 employees worldwide as of June 2024, had announced layoffs in May, affecting around 6,000 workers. It was planning to cut thousands of jobs, particularly in sales, Bloomberg News reported last month. The Windows maker had pledged $80 billion in capital spending for its fiscal year 2025. However, the soaring cost of scaling its AI infrastructure has weighed on its margins, with its June quarter cloud margin expected to shrink from last year. Microsoft said on Wednesday it planned to reduce organizational layers with fewer managers and streamline its products, procedures and roles. The Seattle Times first reported on the layoffs earlier on Wednesday. Separately, Bloomberg News reported Microsoft's Barcelona-based King division, which makes the Candy Crush video game, is cutting 10% of its staff, or about 200 jobs. Big Tech peers, which are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, have also announced job cuts. Facebook parent Meta (META.O), opens new tab earlier this year said it would trim about 5% of its "lowest performers", while Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google has also laid off hundreds of employees in the past year. Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab has also cut jobs across its business segments, most recently in its books division. The company had earlier laid off employees in its devices and services unit, and communications staff. Economic uncertainties and rising costs have triggered layoffs across sectors in Corporate America, as companies rush to streamline operations and hedge against further cost pressures.
