Microsoft has announced a major shift in the development of future Halo games.
The next Halo games will be made in Unreal Engine 5. pic.twitter.com/nqTmsvVvcq
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) October 6, 2024
The company’s 343 Industries studio, now rebranded as Halo Studios, will be using Unreal Engine 5 for upcoming projects, moving away from its proprietary Slipspace Engine. The decision comes after more than a year of speculation and internal changes within the studio.
I really hope the Halo Studios team cooks and brings this all to life in a way that pushes the graphical boundaries of Halo again pic.twitter.com/k8vSJw5MUx
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 7, 2024
The Slipspace Engine, built specifically for Halo Infinite, had become challenging to work with, with some components being nearly 25 years old. Studio head Pierre Hintze stated, “We’re not just going to try to improve the efficiency of development, but change the recipe of how we make Halo games.”
The rumors were true. Halo is moving to Unreal Engine 5. Slipspace is no more. 343 (the name) is no more as well. Now it's Halo Studios.
There's some really nice test footage in here from their Project Foundry tech test. Take a look! https://t.co/1TkLEXDG5n
— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) October 7, 2024
The switch to Unreal Engine 5 is expected to bring advanced rendering and lighting technologies, enabling more detailed and expansive game worlds. Art director Chris Matthews expressed excitement about the possibilities, saying, “Nanite and Lumen offer us an opportunity to do that in a way that the industry hasn’t seen before.”
glad to see those old halo > unreal engine rumors panned out. should streamline the pipeline a fair bit.
— Jez (@JezCorden) October 7, 2024
Halo Studios is currently working on Project Foundry, a research and development initiative designed to explore the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5.
Halo Studios adopts Unreal for future
While not a game or tech demo, it is being built as if it were a shipping game, laying the foundation for future projects. The legacy Slipspace Engine will continue to power Halo Infinite, but the studio’s focus is shifting to create multiple new experiences using Unreal Engine 5.
Hintze emphasized, “[Switching to Unreal] allows us to put all the focus on making multiple new experiences at the highest quality possible.”
No specific release dates or new game announcements have been made yet. The projects will be “ready when they’re ready,” according to Halo Studios. The rebranding and engine switch follow the impact of Microsoft’s massive layoffs in January 2023 on 343 Industries and the subsequent internal reorganization.
The Halo series, a tentpole franchise for Microsoft’s gaming arm, is now officially starting over with this new direction.
