Switching to Unreal Engine 5 “allows us to put all the focus on making multiple new experiences at the highest quality possible,” says studio head Pierre Hintze.
We’ve known for a while now that 343 Industries is at work on whatever is next for the Halo franchise, while earlier this year, the studio suggested that it had multiple projects in the works. Now, in addition to officially rebranding itself as Halo Studios, the developer has confirmed that it does indeed have multiple projects in the pipeline.
All future Halo titles are going to be built on Unreal Engine 5, and having spent the last couple of years working on an expansive tech demo dubbed Project Foundry, Halo Studios has now revealed that it has multiple full Halo games in development as well.
According to studio head Pierre Hintze, as Halo Studios, the company has “recalibrated” itself, and instead of focusing the entirety of its efforts on a single project, empowered by the shift to Unreal 5, it currently has multiple titles in development at once.
“We had a disproportionate focus on trying to create the conditions to be successful in servicing Halo Infinite,” he said. “[But switching to Unreal] allows us to put all the focus on making multiple new experiences at the highest quality possible.”
COO Elizabeth van Wyck also explained that Halo Studios will be placing a much greater emphasis on getting feedback from players at much earlier stages of projects’ development. “We’re seeking earlier and earlier, wider and wider feedback from our players,” she said. “We started that with The Master Chief Collection, and carried that on with Halo Infinite, and we want to do it even more for our next projects. At the end of the day, it’s not just how do we evaluate, it’s how do our players evaluate it?”
As for what the multiple new Halo projects in development are, that’s anyone’s guess at this point. Presumably, Halo 7 (or whatever the next mainline title in the series turns out to be) will be one, while leaks have claimed that another remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved is also in the works.