Studio 343 Industries, the developers behind the iconic Halo series, have announced a rebranding to Halo Studios. This move comes as part of a larger shift in their development approach.
Halo Studios has revealed that future Halo games will be transitioning to utilize Unreal Engine 5 instead of their in-house Slipspace Engine. The decision was driven by the aging nature of Slipspace, with some code modules dating back 25 years to the Halo 1 era. Unreal Engine 5 offers advanced capabilities, a myriad of high-level features, and exceptional stability, thereby allowing the studio to streamline their development efforts.
Opting for UE5 also brings the advantage of easier talent acquisition, as many industry professionals are already experienced with game development using Unreal Engine, simplifying onboarding processes. In contrast, new hires joining the Halo team would need significant time to familiarize themselves with Slipspace, as it remains exclusive to the studio.
Pierre Hintze, the head of the studio, described this rebranding as the beginning of a new era for the Halo franchise, marking the third chapter after Bungie and 343 Industries.
Furthermore, Halo Studios has showcased a tech demo named Project Foundry, aimed at exploring UE5’s capabilities, enabling the team to experiment and test various features to gauge the potential and limitations of the new engine.
While details on the upcoming Halo installment are scarce, the team has reassured fans that ongoing support for Halo Infinite will persist, with continuous content updates and the Halo Championship Series entering its fourth year.
TLDR: 343 Industries rebrands as Halo Studios, shifts to Unreal Engine 5 for future Halo games, showcasing a tech demo to explore the new engine’s potential, while maintaining support for Halo Infinite and the Halo Championship Series.
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