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Bloomberg: The Microsoft Studio Behind Halo Franchise Is All But Starting From Scratch (Unreal Engine Switch Confirmed?)
- Thread starter Dr. Samuel Hayden
- Start date
VAVA Mk2
Member
343i has no reason to exist if they don't make Halo games. They were a studio pulled together to manage the IP and make new games. If they can't make a Halo game well, the studio should be disbanned except a body in charge of managing the franchise/lore/transmedia and let other more talented veteran studios at MS/Bethesda/Activision make new Halo games.
knocksky
Banned
They can't even release a season in under 6 months, how the fuck were they going to do expansions?
Moving on from slipspace and infinite is for the best
VAVA Mk2
Member
Hire a bunch of poor managers and talentless people that don't like Halo to manage Halo and not check in on quality or hold people accountable to deadlines or quality bars.
KingT731
Member
Oh the cap award. Gotcha. Maybe the same one who voted it "players choice" the day after it launched? I played it myself and hold my opinion as just that...mine. People began to come around with very much polar reactions about the game after
roughly 3 months and many of the "Hardcore Halo Vets" within 9 months. What happened?
Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
If you just want to say it sucks, more power to you. That's your opinion. If your question marks indicate that you actually want me to answer your question, then sure. Satisfaction with the game decreased when it became clear the GAAS portion of the game, and the battlepass rollouts were a disaster. The initial release was seen positively, because the core game and the gameplay is solid.
bentanchorbolt
Banned
343i wasn't able to build any substance in a meaningful timeframe. Game launched and was an absolute banger, and then came tweet after tweet of delayed features and patches, the season was extended because they couldn't push new content in time, etc. Folks just got sick and tired of waiting around for the new modes and maps and for bugs to get fixed, so they left and never came back. It's a colossal failure on the part of 343i for being incapable of building off huge launch.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
people proposing that other established studio making a Halo game like is a brilliant idea 
. when in fact it will be another sign of Xbox mismanagement if that would come to be.
. when in fact it will be another sign of Xbox mismanagement if that would come to be.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
If Halo Infinite got "re reviewed" as some games do, what would the MC score be?
This is all good news btw. Shake up leadership and identify your major development issues and Halo will be back on track. Too bad we'll be the Titanic lady by the time the next one hits.
This is all good news btw. Shake up leadership and identify your major development issues and Halo will be back on track. Too bad we'll be the Titanic lady by the time the next one hits.
NickFire
Member
What parameters for the re-review are we talking. You know, like what's the ad budget in the month before and after the reviews? And is anyone else buying ads those months?
Fake
Member
Greedy.
It's all in the wrist
Member
Please please please keep the grappling hook. Spider Man with a shotgun was exhilarating.
The Shepard
Member
I'd actually prefer this, still the best one imo
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Two things.
1. This article is crap and is just regurgitating Twitter rumors.
2. I believe every word of it.
1. This article is crap and is just regurgitating Twitter rumors.
2. I believe every word of it.
In UE 5! Drool , to learn the new engine . Btw UE5 is awesome , been doing some modeling in it lately , no need for expensive maya , 3D Max or Vray anymore . UE5 and blender are great together.
NonPhixion
Member
Yeah good thing they’re getting rid of that creaky old(next gen) engine. Hahahahahah
https://www.videogameschronicle.com...ks-up-next-gen-slipspace-engine-in-new-video/
diffusionx
Gold Member
Multiplayer Infinite played pretty well but had very little content and the worst battlepass/unlock system of all time. Just amazingly bad, like you would think the people who designed it have never played a game with an battlepass. And yea that stuff does matter because it keeps people engaged for better or worse.
But it’s not just that, it was also a complete failure to deliver the updates they said they would deliver, constant delays, and canceling promised features. Just a total shitshow, especially amazing considering, for all of its faults, Halo 5 had a pretty decent multiplayer setup. This studio was actively regressing over time.
feynoob
Banned
If you are talking about the F2P one, lack of content killed it.
BusierDonkey
Member
I enjoyed Infinite at launch like many others, but the Slipspace engine didn't add anything that couldn't have been done in Unreal 5 or using another engine. I'm curious why the move would be to Unreal and not looking at their own in-umbrella id Tech engine which has proven to be a very scalable and capable engine.
As for Halo, the story has been a mess since Halo Reach. Halo 4 - Infinite's story is half missing, requiring people to read books or comics to fill in the blanks. Even major plot points happen outside the games. I don't like needing to do homework to get the most from my games. I'm supposed to be excited because there another new villain race of squid people, but honestly, I can't bring myself to care at this point since they'll probably just die off outside the games again. Microsoft should put this series on the shelf for a decade or so.
As for Halo, the story has been a mess since Halo Reach. Halo 4 - Infinite's story is half missing, requiring people to read books or comics to fill in the blanks. Even major plot points happen outside the games. I don't like needing to do homework to get the most from my games. I'm supposed to be excited because there another new villain race of squid people, but honestly, I can't bring myself to care at this point since they'll probably just die off outside the games again. Microsoft should put this series on the shelf for a decade or so.
balls of snow
Gold Member
Ah if its the Rat, we can trust his articles.
What a shitshow of a franchise.
What a shitshow of a franchise.
kiphalfton
Member
How many times has a company said they aren't going to do something, and do that very same thing.
Lots.
Just because today they say 343i is the home to Halo, doesn't mean jack. Not like any of these companies operate with any sort of integrity, and won't go back on what they said.
Lots.
Just because today they say 343i is the home to Halo, doesn't mean jack. Not like any of these companies operate with any sort of integrity, and won't go back on what they said.
Thirty7ven
Banned
Infinite showed the engine sucks.
NickFire
Member
I don't respect any (gaming) "journalist" who engages on one specific forum but not this one. I also don't think any such "journalist" even respects their own profession if they support that type of moderation when their entire industry depends on the free exchange of ideas. I find them rather pathetic to be honest. But that said, I think he is the "journalist" who I trust the most when it comes to these kinds of "scoops." Whether I agree or disagree with his take on things, I never felt he was a liar who would make things up. He at least gets that part of being a journalist right in my book.
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balls of snow
Gold Member
Well I for one am never gonna replay that Infinite campaign now. Way too sad.
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SenjutsuSage
Banned
If everyone says they aren't doing anything on singleplayer campaign right now, how does anybody actually know whether or not they'll use Unreal for the next major Halo singleplayer campaign or not? Seems they're just going off of the fact Certain Affinity's halo project, Tatanka, with help from 343i, could end up being on Unreal? But this is tricky because Halo 2 anniversary has been on 3 engines all at once, Halo 4 upgraded engine for the MP, Saber3D engine for the anniversary remake visuals and the original Halo engine for the gameplay.
So is Slipspace staying for the gameplay code, but they're switching to unreal for the visual side of things? Because the risk for me is losing that fantastic Halo gameplay feel. I'll still love Halo whether it's on unreal or slipspace, but to me I don't see how anybody can fully know they're switching to unreal engine 5 when they'll be building on Halo Infinite via slipspace this entire year and possibly the entire year after that also. It seems too early to say what the next big Halo campaign will be running on right now. Which is why official confirmation is always best. All of this could be destroyed with a single blog post or video reveal announcing the next Halo title one to three years down the road while telling confirming the engine. But the last Halo Campaign was Dec 2021. We had a wait on our hands regardless for the next thing and it makes sense not to go the DLC route with Halo and potentially risk abandoning Xbox One users who would feel screwed if they weren't supported. And we know Microsoft wouldn't get a pass for abandoning last gen with any DLCs.
So is Slipspace staying for the gameplay code, but they're switching to unreal for the visual side of things? Because the risk for me is losing that fantastic Halo gameplay feel. I'll still love Halo whether it's on unreal or slipspace, but to me I don't see how anybody can fully know they're switching to unreal engine 5 when they'll be building on Halo Infinite via slipspace this entire year and possibly the entire year after that also. It seems too early to say what the next big Halo campaign will be running on right now. Which is why official confirmation is always best. All of this could be destroyed with a single blog post or video reveal announcing the next Halo title one to three years down the road while telling confirming the engine. But the last Halo Campaign was Dec 2021. We had a wait on our hands regardless for the next thing and it makes sense not to go the DLC route with Halo and potentially risk abandoning Xbox One users who would feel screwed if they weren't supported. And we know Microsoft wouldn't get a pass for abandoning last gen with any DLCs.
AmuroChan
Member
Naming the studio 343 is going to end up being one of the dumbest decisions ever made. Not only tying the studio to a single franchise, but how embarrassing it would be for the franchise to be taken from them. The studio needs to be rebranded from the ground up.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
If the campaign died in a month, why is it consistently among the most-played games on Game Pass and on Xbox? It's 15th worldwide on Series consoles, above even Destiny 2. Halo Infinite overall has rarely left the top 20-25 of most played games across Xbox since launch. So, no, the game is very much not dead. Just because it isn't as popular on steam doesn't mean it isn't one of the most played games on Xbox.
If Halo is dead, Hi-Fi Rush must be also? Halo has stayed amongst the most played games. Has not gone anywhere. It can't be all that dead if countless other games have come and gone whereas it's still so heavily played.
NickFire
Member
I'm trying to decode this. Are you saying that stopping development of DLC is the proper course to respect people still rocking last gen?
FBeeEye
Banned
When playing #GirlBoss is more important than putting out a great game.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
343i has made some of the best Halo games ever. Halo 4 is easily well up there as a peak of the franchise from a campaign standpoint. Halo 5 didn't deliver on the story we all wanted, but it was damn sure the best playing Halo feeling Halo game to play to that point. And now Halo Infinite brought the very best of Halo from its very beginnings together into the ultimate Spartan simulation, giving the game the most boss fights ever, the most gameplay options ever at the player's fingertips, and a killer story that brought everything full circle involving Cortana. They'd be insane to take it from 343i who just created a GOTY caliber title in Halo Infinite, and most clearly agree.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
I couldn't give a rat's ass about the people on last gen at this stage, but we know Xbox would be destroyed for dropping DLC that was potentially next-gen only, and Xbox's communication is as pussy as it gets. So best to avoid the whole thing and plan for a true next gen only Halo on whatever engine they feel comfortable with. People welcomed cdpr abandoning last gen for cyberpunk dlc. The same would not hold true for 343i xbox and Halo. It would be drama all over the internet.
NickFire
Member
Why not just let last gen stream it like Forza?
Sounds like the employees/contractors were following directions from management, not going rogue.
Mr Reasonable
Completely Unreasonable
Dropping their own engine is a good move given the number of contractors they used in the past that would likely have been familiar with Unreal but had to be taught the nuances, quirks of their own engine, slowing progress until they were acclimatized.
bitbydeath
Gold Member
The wording makes it sound like they were doing something they shouldn’t. It was also billed as a ten year project so jumping onto something else so early does not sound like they were listening to anyone.
Thebonehead
Gold Member
343i and Slipspace reminds me of that time when Netscape decided they needed to rebuild their engine from the ground up. Totaled them as well
I enjoyed my time with the Infinite campaign and reloaded it the other day to check it out again and it is really ugly looking at it again.
My mind was thinking what I'd get was
But what I actually got was....
I enjoyed my time with the Infinite campaign and reloaded it the other day to check it out again and it is really ugly looking at it again.
My mind was thinking what I'd get was
But what I actually got was....
Bar81
Member
I'm still not sure what either of you are talking about. There wasn't a single player campaign. Just some fun (but short) semi-sandbox and the MP.
Patrick S.
Banned
Oofta, I have eyes and all, but man I'm not gonna read all that 
I'll need that in Haiku form...
I'll need that in Haiku form...
ResilientBanana
Member
Usually if you want to make money, you have to make amazing games. I liked Halo Infinite for the most part, but the story was weak. The MP is pretty good, it still holds my interests but the drip feed isn't awesome.
In Cold Blood
Banned
Little bit of hyperbole there.
Even with 95 job losses 343 still has around 350 to 400 devs, plus the 100 or so from Certain Affinity working on it.
That's a shit ton of manpower for one game.
Even with 95 job losses 343 still has around 350 to 400 devs, plus the 100 or so from Certain Affinity working on it.
That's a shit ton of manpower for one game.
TLZ
Banned
That was Mochizuki. He's almost always wrong, if not always. We shouldn't take anything he says seriously.I now question the validity of this article seeing how they were wrong about the PSVR 2 production halt
