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 …
Read More »343 addresses disappointment in new Halo Infinite roadmap
Earlier this week, 343 Industries revealed the new roadmap for Halo Infinite, which unfortunately includes another extended six-month season, with highly anticipated features still months away. Unfortunately, according to Halo Infinite lead, Joseph Staten, this is the best we're going to get right now, as the team continues to tackle …
Read More »Halo Infinite campaign co-op coming in August, Forge beta in September
Halo Infinite players have grown impatient recently due to fatigue from the game's extended, 6-month long Season 01. This extended season has led to some content droughts, but Season 2 is just on the horizon, going live next week with new game modes. Unfortunately, according to 343's new roadmap, Season …
Read More »Halo composer settles lawsuit against Microsoft
Marty O’Donnell, best known for his work as a composer at Bungie in the days of Halo, and eventually, the early days of Destiny, filed a lawsuit against Microsoft two years ago. O’Donnell and fellow composer, Mike Salvatori, claimed that Microsoft owes the pair royalties dating back 20 years. Now, …
Read More »Halo Infinite is getting a Battle Royale mode this year
There have been plenty of rumours surrounding Certain Affinity recently. Not only is the studio reportedly working on its own original IP for Xbox Game Pass, but the studio has also recently “deepened” its relationship with 343 Industries and is currently working on a big Battle Royale mode for Halo …
Read More »The Master Chief Collection is more popular than Halo Infinite right now
Following an enjoyable honeymoon period, many Halo fans have fallen off of the Halo Infinite train. 343i’s slow rate of updates certainly hasn’t helped. This frustration felt by fans has now led to Halo: The Master Chief Collection surpassing Infinite in concurrent players. As noted by ResetEra user NekoNeko, Halo: …
Read More »Halo Infinite mod enables third-person combat
Modders are slowly but surely beginning to figure out how to make changes to Halo Infinite. The latest mod to make headlines completely shifts gameplay, enabling a third-person view of Master Chief and the Zeta Halo. Since the beginning, Halo has been a first-person shooter franchise, while other Microsoft IP, …
Read More »343i responds to Halo Infinite content delays
Halo: Infinite launched late last year to a positive reception from long-time fans of the series. The surprise early release of the multiplayer title, as well as a mostly solid campaign kept fans satisfied during the launch period. Months later, and with little additional content, fans have started to get …
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