{"id":261854,"date":"2024-10-07T00:21:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T00:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/07\/halo-studios-new-name-new-engine-new-games-new-philosophy\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:10:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:10:57","slug":"halo-studios-new-name-new-engine-new-games-new-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/07\/halo-studios-new-name-new-engine-new-games-new-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Halo Studios: New Name, New Engine, New Games, New Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ahead of the final match at today\u2019s 2024 Halo World Championship, we saw an unexpected video. It depicted landscapes you might expect from the Halo series \u2013 Forerunner architecture jutting from dramatic landscapes inspired by the Pacific Northwest, gorgeous fields of ice, even a vista blighted and consumed by The Flood. We of course saw glimpses of the Master Chief, and his iconic enemies, even a Banshee arcing past the camera. But what we saw wasn\u2019t a look back \u2013 this was something entirely new.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re entering a new dawn for Halo. Those new visuals were created using Unreal Engine 5 \u2013 and we learned that all future Halo projects will use the engine, and that multiple new games using it are in development. Alongside the engine change, the studio is seeing changes in culture, workflow, and how its teams are organized. To match that new approach, franchise stewards 343 Industries are changing their name \u2013 Halo Studios is here.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe title=\"A New Dawn | Halo Studios\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FDgR1FRJnF8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Studio Head Pierre Hintze defines this less like a clean break, and more like the turning of a page:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you really break Halo down, there have been two very distinct chapters. Chapter 1 \u2013 Bungie. Chapter 2 \u2013 343 Industries. Now, I think we have an audience which is hungry for more. So we\u2019re not just going to try improve the efficiency of development, but change the recipe of <em>how<\/em> we make Halo games. So, we start a new chapter today.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The First Step<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Switching from the studio\u2019s proprietary Slipspace Engine to Unreal is a key part of that change. Previously, 343 Industries needed a large portion of its staff simply to develop and upkeep the engine its games ran on. \u00a0\u201cWe believe that the consumption habits of gamers have changed \u2013 the expectations of how fast their content is available,\u201d says Hintze. \u201cOn <em>Halo Infinite<\/em>, we were developing a tech stack that was supposed to set us up for the future, <em>and <\/em>games at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As gaming evolves, and players increasingly point out how long it takes to see new games from their favorite series, the team at Halo Studios felt the need to react. As COO Elizabeth van Wyck puts it:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe way we made Halo games before doesn\u2019t necessarily work as well for the way we want to make games for the future. So part of the conversation we had was about how we help the team focus on making games, versus making the tools and the engines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alongside the wider changes to how the studio is set up (which you can read more about below), adopting Unreal means Halo Studios is more able to create games with a focus that can satisfy fans \u2013 even setting up multiple teams to create different games simultaneously. But Unreal also comes with in-built benefits that would have taken years of work to replicate with Slipspace:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRespectfully, some components of Slipspace are almost 25 years old,\u201d explains Studio Art Director, Chris Matthews. \u201cAlthough 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 \u2013 and would have taken huge amounts of time and resources to try and replicate.<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;uploadedSrc&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\\\/prod\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/FoundryUE5-02-b7f89138d9296126d1eb.jpg&quot;,&quot;figureClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;,&quot;figureStyles&quot;:null,&quot;imgClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-image-204683&quot;,&quot;imgStyles&quot;:null,&quot;targetWidth&quot;:1920,&quot;targetHeight&quot;:1080,&quot;scaleAttr&quot;:false,&quot;ariaLabel&quot;:&quot;Enlarge image&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-02-b7f89138d9296126d1eb.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-204683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-02-b7f89138d9296126d1eb.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-02-b7f89138d9296126d1eb-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-02-b7f89138d9296126d1eb-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-02-b7f89138d9296126d1eb-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"context.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"context.imageButtonTop\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\"\/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOne of the primary things we\u2019re interested in is growing and expanding our world so players have more to interact with and more to experience. Nanite and Lumen [Unreal\u2019s rendering and lighting technologies] offer us an opportunity to do that in a way that the industry hasn\u2019t seen before. As artists, it\u2019s incredibly exciting to do that work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s another in-built benefit \u2013 Unreal is familiar to huge parts of the wider gaming industry. Where developers would have to spend time learning how to use Slipspace when joining 343, Halo Studios\u2019 adoption of the industry-leading engine makes it a far smoother process to bring in new talent (and the studio is indeed <a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/halojobs\">hiring for its new projects now<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about how long it takes to bring a game to market, but how long it takes for us to update the game, bring new content to players, adapt to what we\u2019re seeing our players want,\u201d says Van Wyck. \u201cPart of that is [in how we build the game], but another part is the recruiting. How long does it take to ramp somebody up to be able to actually create assets that show up in your game?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With the move to Unreal, the on-ramp is shorter, the experience is there, and the series can grow far more quickly and organically than ever before.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Forging Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Of course, Halo Studios needed to be confident in the switch to Unreal \u2013 this isn\u2019t a decision taken lightly. The team had to be sure that the first Halo games to come out of a non-Slipspace engine would look, feel, and sound right. The team began experimenting, and it resulted in a research project known as Project Foundry \u2013 the source for all the new clips we saw today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we decided to do Foundry, it wasn\u2019t, at that point, in our plan,\u201d says Van Wyck. \u201cBut we needed to pause and \u2013 \u2018validate\u2019 is not the right word, but educate and understand what our capability is, and assess it, so we actually know we\u2019re on the right path.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve intentionally been really quiet up to this point, but I think [today] is about just sharing where we are, what our priorities are as a studio, and where the team is. We\u2019re really proud of what came out of Foundry.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;uploadedSrc&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\\\/prod\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/FoundryUE5-03-0c171ee2a8f31ef7d0e3.jpg&quot;,&quot;figureClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;,&quot;figureStyles&quot;:null,&quot;imgClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-image-204678&quot;,&quot;imgStyles&quot;:null,&quot;targetWidth&quot;:1920,&quot;targetHeight&quot;:1080,&quot;scaleAttr&quot;:false,&quot;ariaLabel&quot;:&quot;Enlarge image&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-03-0c171ee2a8f31ef7d0e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-204678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-03-0c171ee2a8f31ef7d0e3.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-03-0c171ee2a8f31ef7d0e3-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-03-0c171ee2a8f31ef7d0e3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-03-0c171ee2a8f31ef7d0e3-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"context.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"context.imageButtonTop\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\"\/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<p>So what does Foundry represent? The team is clear that this is <em>not<\/em> a new game \u2013 but nor is it a traditional tech demo. It isn\u2019t just an exploration of what\u2019s possible with this engine \u2013 it\u2019s a true reflection of what would be required for a new Halo game using Unreal, and a training tool for how to get there. Foundry has been made with the same rigor, process, and fidelity as a shipped game would be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere this type of work\u2019s been done historically, across the industry, it can contain a lot of smoke and mirrors,\u201d explains Matthews. \u201cIt sometimes leads players down paths where they believe it\u2019s going to be one thing, and then something else happens. The ethos of Foundry is vigorously the opposite of that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything we\u2019ve made is built to the kind of standards that we need to build for the future of our games. We were very intentional about not stepping into tech demo territory. We built things that we truly believe in, and the content that we\u2019ve built \u2013 or at least a good percentage of it \u2013 could travel anywhere inside our games in the future if we so desire it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hintze goes further: \u201cIt\u2019s fair to say that our intent is that the majority of what we showcased in Foundry is <em>expected<\/em> to be in projects which we are building, or future projects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And what we\u2019ve seen of Foundry promises incredible things. Named after the Foundry within Halo\u2019s lore \u2013 the central forge of the megastructure used to create the Halo Rings themselves \u2013 the project saw the team set out to create three distinct biomes in the style of Halo. The goal was, as Matthews puts it, to make something old, something new, and something truly alien.<\/p>\n<p>For something old, we see a biome inspired by the Pacific Northwest \u2013 a staple of the series \u2013 but in dramatic new form. Waterfalls crash over mountains, a running creek becomes the site of a tableau pitching the Chief against two Covenant Elites, and the team pushed Unreal to include as much foliage as technically possible.<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;uploadedSrc&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\\\/prod\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/FoundryUE5-04-bcfe4b071b194fd07ba6.jpg&quot;,&quot;figureClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;,&quot;figureStyles&quot;:null,&quot;imgClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-image-204679&quot;,&quot;imgStyles&quot;:null,&quot;targetWidth&quot;:1920,&quot;targetHeight&quot;:1080,&quot;scaleAttr&quot;:false,&quot;ariaLabel&quot;:&quot;Enlarge image&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-04-bcfe4b071b194fd07ba6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-204679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-04-bcfe4b071b194fd07ba6.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-04-bcfe4b071b194fd07ba6-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-04-bcfe4b071b194fd07ba6-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-04-bcfe4b071b194fd07ba6-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"context.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"context.imageButtonTop\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\"\/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<p>For something new, we see the Coldlands location, a region locked in a deep freeze, with snowdrifts covering plateaus, and ice reflecting what\u2019s above and refracting what\u2019s below. And for something alien, we see the Blightlands, a brand new take on a Halo location \u2013 a world consumed by the parasitic Flood. The express purpose of the Blightlands was to see how this new-look Halo team could push the world itself farther than previous Halo games \u2013 the results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Even the familiar looks new in Foundry. The Chief\u2019s armor has been modelled with extreme care, down to individual panels on his combat gloves. An Elite\u2019s energy sword now feels less like a solid object and more reflective of the name \u2013 a crackling swoosh of dangerous energy. The aim wasn\u2019t just to push the studio, but the engine itself \u2013 Foundry is designed to do things that we haven\u2019t seen in games using Unreal across the industry, Halo began its life as a graphical showcase for the original Xbox \u2013 the goal is to make that so again.<\/p>\n<p>Halo Studios has worked closely with Unreal\u2019s creators, Epic Games, to ensure they can reach that lofty goal. <strong\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHalo is such an incredible franchise and it\u2019s awesome to see Halo Studios already pushing the boundaries of Unreal Engine 5,\u201d said Bill Clifford, Vice President and General Manager of Unreal Engine at Epic Games. \u201cWe\u2019re honored to support the Halo team in realizing their creative visions through Unreal Engine. Project Foundry\u2019s work demonstrates how they can bring Halo to life with beautifully detailed, uncompromised worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the soul of Halo isn\u2019t just in how it looks, but how it feels \u2013 the intrinsic dance of its combat, the thud of the weapons, and the sense that you\u2019re inhabiting the Master Chief\u2019s armor. While Foundry may be a primarily visual project, Halo Studios is deeply invested in retaining the essence of what players love about Halo:<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;uploadedSrc&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\\\/prod\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/FoundryUE5-05-7c79dec4eedb7c205729.jpg&quot;,&quot;figureClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;,&quot;figureStyles&quot;:null,&quot;imgClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-image-204680&quot;,&quot;imgStyles&quot;:null,&quot;targetWidth&quot;:1920,&quot;targetHeight&quot;:1080,&quot;scaleAttr&quot;:false,&quot;ariaLabel&quot;:&quot;Enlarge image&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-05-7c79dec4eedb7c205729.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-204680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-05-7c79dec4eedb7c205729.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-05-7c79dec4eedb7c205729-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-05-7c79dec4eedb7c205729-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-05-7c79dec4eedb7c205729-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"context.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"context.imageButtonTop\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\"\/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s pretty well known that [switching engine] has been a topic that the studio has thought about for a long, long time,\u201d says Van Wyck. \u201c[The release of] Unreal Engine 5 was when we felt like we could make Halo games that respect and reflect the true soul of Halo while also being able to build games that can deliver on the scale and ambition of content that players want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe spirit of Halo is more than just the visuals,\u201d agrees Matthews. \u201cIt\u2019s the lore. It\u2019s the physics. Playing as the Chief, you\u2019re this huge tank of a soldier \u2013 it\u2019s the way that he moves, he feels. We\u2019re all really obsessed about what our players love about Halo. We\u2019re constantly listening to this feedback \u2013 and that\u2019s at the core of any initiative like Foundry, or any intention that the studio has about how we move forwards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re thinking about the intangibles,\u201d Hintze adds. \u201cThe interaction with the Master Chief, or your Spartan, or the enemies. We are very careful about the decisions we\u2019re making in that space \u2013 down to the precision and authenticity of the weapons, the authenticity of the animations. There are a list of nuances which we use to verify that we\u2019re on track.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Beyond the Visor<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>So, let\u2019s talk about what\u2019s coming beyond Foundry. As you might expect, the team isn\u2019t talking about exactly what those new games will be right now \u2013 we\u2019re at the beginning of this new chapter, not the final stages, and it\u2019s fair to say that a new Halo game isn\u2019t imminent. <em>Halo Infinite<\/em> will still be supported through the Slipspace Engine \u2013 you can expect more Operations, and updates to its Forge mode. In esports, Year 4 of the Halo Championship Series, using <em>Halo<\/em> <em>Infinite<\/em>, has just been announced. But in the background, the next steps for Halo will be taken.<\/p>\n<p>The quietness is by design. Hintze makes clear that the priority right now is on doing the work, not simply talking about it:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things I really wanted to get away from was the continued teasing out of possibilities and \u2018must-haves\u2019. We should do more and say less. For me, I really think it is important that we continue the posture which we have right now when it comes to our franchise \u2013 the level of humility, the level of servitude towards Halo fans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should talk about things when we have things to talk about, at scale. Today, it\u2019s the first step \u2013 we\u2019re showing Foundry because it feels right to do so \u2013 we want to explain our plans to Halo fans, and attract new, passionate developers to our team. The next step will be talking about the games themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;uploadedSrc&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\\\/prod\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/FoundryUE5-06-4d494c4dd4c8471278b0.jpg&quot;,&quot;figureClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-block-image size-full&quot;,&quot;figureStyles&quot;:null,&quot;imgClassNames&quot;:&quot;wp-image-204681&quot;,&quot;imgStyles&quot;:null,&quot;targetWidth&quot;:1920,&quot;targetHeight&quot;:1080,&quot;scaleAttr&quot;:false,&quot;ariaLabel&quot;:&quot;Enlarge image&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-06-4d494c4dd4c8471278b0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-204681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-06-4d494c4dd4c8471278b0.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-06-4d494c4dd4c8471278b0-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-06-4d494c4dd4c8471278b0-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xxboxnews.blob.core.windows.net\/prod\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/FoundryUE5-06-4d494c4dd4c8471278b0-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"context.imageButtonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"context.imageButtonTop\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\"\/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<p>What is clear is that, yes, it\u2019s Halo <em>games<\/em> \u2013 plural \u2013 in development right now. Where <em>Halo Infinite<\/em> saw practically the entire studio focused on a single, evolving project, Halo Studios has recalibrated:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a disproportionate focus on trying to create the conditions to be successful in servicing <em>Halo Infinite<\/em>,\u201d says Hintze. \u201c[But switching to Unreal] allows us to put all the focus on making multiple new experiences at the highest quality possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A major part of this shift has been in reorganizing the structure of Halo Studios as a whole, in order to give development teams what they need to make something new.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cAt the end of the day, if we build the games that our players want to play, that\u2019s how we\u2019ll be successful,\u201d explains Van Wyck. \u201cThat\u2019s what should motivate what we build. That\u2019s also what this structure has done \u2013 we want the people that are day-in-day-out making the games to be the ones to make the decisions on the games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The team will also be seeking more input from outside the studio on those decisions:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re seeking earlier and earlier, wider and wider feedback from our players,\u201d she continues. \u201cWe started that with <em>The Master Chief <\/em>Collection, and carried that on with <em>Halo Infinite<\/em>, and we want to do it even more for our next projects. At the end of the day, it\u2019s not just how do <em>we<\/em> evaluate, it\u2019s how do our players evaluate it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>343 Industries was founded to create Halo games but the impression I get is that, in its new incarnation as Halo Studios, the studio has been retooled to put the focus <em>entirely<\/em> on that goal \u2013 without distraction, without impediment, to create better games with players\u2019 hopes and wishes at the heart of the endeavor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou asked why we consider this as a new chapter,\u201d says Hintze. \u201cWe want a singular focus. Everyone is in this place is here to make the best possible Halo games.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/2024\/10\/06\/halo-studios-unreal-engine-interview\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Ahead of the final match at today\u2019s 2024 Halo World Championship, we saw an unexpected video. It depicted landscapes you might expect from the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261854"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}