The future of Halo will be built using Unreal Engine 5. This surprising news was announced during Sundays’ Halo World Championships, where 343 Industries impressed fans with its ambitious shift in the franchise. Master Chief
A six-and-a-half-minute video shown during the event teased snippets of the newly polished visuals and the Master Chief. ‘A New Dawn shows various work-in-progress images and vignettes that will shape the Halo series' future.
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+ 4The announcement came right before the final match of the tournament, which was held at the Seattle Convention Center from October 4 to 6.
This announcement also marks a change in 343 Industries' name, transforming it into Halo Studios. This rebranding is intentional, as the studio will continue to produce more Halo titles over the years, with future projects being developed using Unreal Engine 5.
click to enlarge + 4They tease multiple projects during the presentation while keeping hush-hush on the details. “I think fans are going to be excited about the future of Halo because of the possibilities that are afforded us by using Unreal,” said lead animator Marcellis Wentz.
Halo’s new chapter is a long time coming as Halo’s proprietary Slipspace engine is almost 25 years old. Continued usage is no longer feasible, considering that better alternatives exist. Halo Studios studio director Chris Matthews said, “Although 343 were developing it continuously, there are aspects of Unreal that Epic has been developing for some time which are unavailable to us in Slipspace.”
click to enlarge + 4Despite this significant change, Halo Infinite will remain operational using the Slipspace Engine. Unfortunately, 343 Industries recently announced it’s done with seasons, so Season 6 will not be coming.
The significant lack of content was why Halo Infinite received lukewarm reviews when it launched. Players complained about missing story beats, bad progression, uninspired map designs, and identity issues that felt like it was borrowing a page from modern shooters. Some players said it no longer felt like Halo at all.
click to enlarge + 4The franchise has suffered numerous setbacks, especially with Paramount’s Halo TV series canceled after two seasons. It was another major strike to Master Chief’s legacy, one that potentially pushed Microsoft and 343 Industries to take a step back and find a different angle.
Today’s announcement is good news for longtime Halo fans. The series is getting a major overhaul in its vision, which means that Halo can start over with a new and powerful engine to back it up.
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