Microsoft Transfers Halo Game Development to Activision with New Team
- Activision has been tasked with developing the next Halo game, forming a dedicated team for this project.
- The new game is expected to be a reboot focusing on Master Chief’s origins.
- Development is reportedly utilizing the Infinity Ward Engine, moving away from Unreal Engine 5.
Microsoft has recently handed over the development of its next Halo game to Activision, establishing “a new purpose-built team” that operates independently from Call of Duty teams. According to a report by renowned Halo and Xbox insider Rebs Gaming, a timeline regarding the internal process at Microsoft has emerged, indicating that Activision intends to reboot the Halo series by potentially exploring Master Chief’s origins.
In the report, Rebs Gaming stated, “Activision originally proposed two separate games: a free-to-play multiplayer game and a campaign-only game.” He further elaborated that the initial concept for the campaign prototype was a soft reboot that would not follow the storyline of Halo Infinite while respecting existing canon. Instead of producing two separate titles, Activision has chosen to develop a single package that integrates both multiplayer and single-player elements, consistent with the current format of the Halo series.
The closest representation of a Master Chief origin narrative has been seen in the recently canceled Paramount Halo television series after two seasons. The potential narrative direction remains uncertain, particularly regarding sensitive themes involving Master Chief and his relationship with Cortana.
Rebs Gaming also revealed that teams at Sledgehammer Games have “conceptualised and prototyped basic gameplay mechanics for both the proposed campaign and multiplayer projects.” This work has been conducted using the Infinity Ward Engine, which has supported various Call of Duty games since Call of Duty 2 in 2005. A modern iteration of this engine was thoroughly revamped in 2019 for the release of Modern Warfare, showcasing capabilities such as path tracing and ray tracing. Consequently, this suggests that Activision is potentially shifting away from using Unreal Engine 5, which was utilized in Halo: Campaign Evolved, and indicates that Halo Studios’ proprietary Slipstream engine may no longer be in use.
Rebs noted that the team responsible for the new title might be developed “within Sledgehammer Games” but emphasized that the project is still in early development, and hence, details might evolve. The only confirmed aspect at this time is Activision’s role in developing the next Halo installment.
Halo: Campaign Evolved recently received favorable reviews and generated $67 million in gross revenue within its first two weeks, although its sales did not meet expectations. Halo remains a flagship franchise for Microsoft and Xbox, despite significant reorganizations within Xbox, including major layoffs at Halo Studios and other departments due to recent changes in project supervision.
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
