A few months ago, we learned that Bungie veteran and Marathon director, Chris Barrett, was no longer at the company. This week, we learned that he was in fact fired from the company, following the results of an investigation. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier broke the news last night, stating that ‘at …
Read More »Live-action Halo show officially cancelled by Paramount+
While Microsoft has seen massive success with the recent release of the Fallout TV show, the console maker’s other efforts in bringing its IPs to TV has not fared as well. Following two seasons and a middling reception, Paramount+ is officially cancelling its Halo TV show. As published by TheHollywoodReporter, …
Read More »Splitgate devs finally tease their next game
Back in 2022, it came as a rather big shock when 1047 Games, the team behind the much-loved Splitgate, announced that they would be ceasing development on the Halo-like multiplayer FPS, stating at the time “We’re turning our attention away from iterative, smaller updates and going all-in to focus on …
Read More »Gigabyte’s new Aorus C400 Glass PC case comes with four RGB halo fans
Gigabyte has unveiled the Aorus C400 Glass mid-tower PC case, which has already clinched the 2024 Red Dot Design Award. The new Aorus case features a vertical airflow cooling design within a 40-litre chassis, resulting in a compact case that doesn't compromise on performance while offering broad component compatibility and …
Read More »Halo: Combat Evolved is getting another remaster, according to insider
With Halo: Infinite failing to become the 10-year live-service juggernaut that Xbox was hoping it would be, the state of the iconic franchise is currently in limbo. That said, according to one industry insider, Microsoft is set to go back to the well, remastering the original Halo: Combat Evolved for …
Read More »AMD Ryzen AI 165 Strix Point APU emerges
Following the spotting of the unannounced Ryzen AI 9 HX170, another leaker now mentions a different Ryzen CPU with the same naming scheme. This new APU is the “Strix Point” Ryzen AI 165. The AMD Zen 5 product series summary shared by Golden Pig Upgrade (via @harukaze5719) provides new details …
Read More »Splitgate devs are teasing something new
Back in 2022, the excellent and much-loved free-to-play Halo/Portal-inspired FPS Splitgate was announced to be ceasing development, with the team at the time saying “in order to build the game fans deserve – and to build it in a way that isn’t trying to retrofit and live operate an existing …
Read More »Former single-player Battlefield lead has ‘nothing positive to say’ about working with EA
A few weeks ago, Halo co-creator, Marcus Lehto, announced plans to leave EA and his newly formed Battlefield studio, Ridgeline Games. Just a day later, EA confirmed it was shutting down the studio entirely and handing future single-player Battlefield development over to Critereon, alongside other studios. Now, it seems Lehto's …
Read More »Long-rumoured Halo battle royale reportedly cancelled
While Halo Infinite may not have been the grand revival that Microsoft were hoping for the franchise, series co-developer Certain Affinity looked to be prepping to offer their own take on the franchise with a battle royale game. Though never officially announced, the long-in-development title has now reportedly been cancelled. …
Read More »More evidence points towards UE5-powered Halo game
Back in October last year we reported on a leak which claimed that following the relative failings of Halo: Infinite, the team at 343 Industries dropped future use of their bespoke Slipspace Engine – instead opting to use Unreal Engine 5 for the next title. Though yet to be officially …
Read More »A new Halo game is reportedly in development using Unreal Engine
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced some restructuring plans, which impacted many parts of the business. On the gaming side, 343 Industries was hit the hardest with a lot of lay-offs, including most of the campaign team that had worked on Halo Infinite. Now, rumours claim that a new small-scale team …
Read More »Master Chief is coming to Rainbow Six: Siege
In the many years following the launch of Rainbow Six: Siege we have seen Ubisoft slowly but surely bring an increasing number of odd and interesting crossover skins into the tactical FPS. Following the likes of Pickle Rick, 2B from NieR: Automata and wrestling stars The Undertaker and Becky Lynch, …
Read More »Halo Infinite gets new 8v8 Squad mode
While the game may not have been the rebirth that some had hoped, Halo Infinite has continued to slowly but surely improve over the years thanks to the continued efforts of 343 Industries. The latest update to Halo Infinite introduces new maps, modes and an 8v8 Squad Battle playlist. Making …
Read More »Halo Infinite will no longer get new Seasonal cutscenes
In recent months we have seen a large number of live service titles scale back their operations, be it through a reduced single player or a lessened story – among others. Unfortunately, one of the games hit by such a downscaling is Halo Infinite, with the game said to no …
Read More »Microsoft offers updates on Halo, Redfall, Perfect Dark and more
In the wake of Microsoft’s recent Xbox Games Showcase, the console manufacturer has engaged in a host of interviews. Now, Xbox’s game studio chief has weighed in on a number of titles which we did not see at the event, including Halo, Redfall and Perfect Dark. In an interview conducted …
Read More »Halo creative lead joins Netflix to work on a AAA multiplatform game
343 Industries has gone through a lot of changes in the last six months, with many members of the leadership team leaving Microsoft. Joseph Staten, who was brought back to Microsoft in an effort to steer Halo Infinite back on track, has moved on from his 18 years at Microsoft …
Read More »Halo franchise director leaves Microsoft
343 Industries has gone through some major changes this year. A round of layoffs at Microsoft in early 2023 saw the majority of the campaign team let go and other major studio leads have also departed the studio in recent months. Now, Frank O'Connor, the franchise director for Halo, is …
Read More »343 is switching to Unreal Engine for future Halo games
Over the last couple of years, 343 Industries' struggles with the Halo IP reached a boiling point, resulting in a round of layoffs at the studio this year. At this point, many of those in leadership positions during Halo Infinite's development have moved on and just under 100 employees have …
Read More »343 Industries will “continue to develop Halo” following recent layoffs
Last week, Microsoft announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs across its different businesses. Some of these layoffs have impacted Microsoft-owned game development studios, including 343 Industries. Not long after this, rumours began claiming that 343 would no longer be developing Halo, and instead, the studio would shrink and simply ‘oversee' …
Read More »NetEase acquires SkyBox Labs, co-developers of Halo and Minecraft
SkyBox Labs isn't necessarily known for the specific games developed by the studio. However, it has helped develop world-renowned franchises such as Halo, Age of Empires and Minecraft. NetEase has now acquired SkyBox Labs, hoping to bring some of that expertise into its ranks. SkyBox Labs is a Canadian game …
Read More »Halo: MCC Winter Update now live with Steam Workshop support
Alongside Halo Infinite, the team at 343 Industries are continuing to support the rest of the franchise’s titles through further updates to the Halo Master Chief Collection. The Winter update – which is live right now – brings with it some major improvements and additions, including Steam Workshop support. Making …
Read More »Details surrounding Halo Infinite’s Battle Royale mode has leaked
One year on from its launch, Halo Infinite is not in the best position currently. Thankfully, both 343i and Xbox are aware of this and are working diligently to try and right this ship. One way in which the team hopes to do so is through the release of a …
Read More »Xbox Games Studios boss addresses Halo Infinite’s live-service failings
Halo Infinite has had an interesting yet unfortunate life so far. After a year’s delay, the game launched to mostly positive reviews, with both campaign and multiplayer fans alike enjoying Infinite’s combat, mechanics, and launch content. Unfortunately, the team has somewhat dropped the ball since, with a decided lack of …
Read More »Certain Affinity is working on a big new game mode for Halo Infinite
Back in April, Halo Infinite support studio, Certain Affinity, announced that it was ‘deepening' its partnership with 343 Industries. At the time, this was heavily rumoured to be a Battle Royale mode. We still don't have confirmation or denial on that, but Certain Affinity does currently have a huge team …
Read More »Halo co-creator working on single-player Battlefield at EA’s new Ridgeline Games studio
Back in October 2021, following the shuttering of his own independent studio, Halo co-creator, Marcus Lehto, joined EA to form a brand new studio. Now, under Lehto's leadership, Ridgeline Games (formerly EA Seattle) will now be tasked with developing future single-player Battlefield titles. Battlefield used to be well known for …
Read More »Halo-inspired sci-fi shooter Splitgate is ceasing development
First person shooters are one of the most popular genres in video games. That being said, it has historically been dominated by a few large franchises. One promising new multiplayer FPS game, Splitgate, is unfortunately ceasing development – though it is actually for an exciting reason. Making the announcement on …
Read More »Halo co-creator will be working on new Battlefield campaign at Seattle studio
Back in October 2021, following the shuttering of his own independent studio, Halo co-creator, Marcus Lehto, joined EA to form a brand new studio. As it turns out, the newly created EA Seattle studio will primarily be focusing on Battlefield, looking to provide new single-player, or potentially co-op enabled campaigns. …
Read More »343i is “internally exploring” adding microtransactions to Halo: MCC
Ever since Bungie parted ways with Microsoft to work on Destiny, 343 Industries have been in charge of the Halo franchise – to varying levels of success. The latest controversy comes from the team’s most recent community update, where they announced that the team is “internally exploring” the notion of …
Read More »Microsoft Flight Simulator gets free content update for 40th anniversary
Microsoft Flight Simulator is Microsoft's longest running video game IP. This year to celebrate its 40-year anniversary, Microsoft Flight Simulator on PC and Xbox Series X/S will be getting a free content update, including classic planes from previous iterations of MFS, as well as a new collaboration with Halo. The …
Read More »Halo Infinite campaign co-op is finally on the way
It looks like Halo Infinite will finally be getting campaign co-op soon. In a new developer update, 343 Industries has announced the first public flight test for online campaign co-op, which should roll out fully to all players during this current season. This is in line with the roadmap 343 …
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