343 Industries, the developers behind the iconic Halo series, are shifting their focus and are now actively laying down a foundation for the next chapter in the Halo story.
As reported by TweakTown, we can trace the source of these rumors to SG Bitcast, Seasoned Gaming’s gaming podcast. In one of their discussions, the website’s editor-in-chief, Ains, revealed a key insight about 343 Industries’ current plans. According to Ains, a dedicated group within the studio is engaged in “the restructure that is building the next generation of Halo on Unreal.”
This revelation coincides with earlier reports from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier earlier this year alluding to the significant changes in the studio’s composition and direction. The departure of studio founder, Bonnie Ross, marked the onset of a series of transformations. Following her exit, leadership within the studio saw Pierre Hintze, known for his role with The Master Chief Collection, stepping up to fill the void left by Ross. In the wake of this changeover, 343 has since gone further restructuring, which involved eliminating certain roles and unfortunately letting some personnel go.
Given the recent relevations, an emerging pattern suggests 343’s plans to deliberately move away from Halo Infinite to focus on a new installment. While fans of the series’ latest entry, which debuted in 2021, continue to old out hope for an expansion or DLC to, at the very least, flesh out the campaign, it seems like this is no longer happening. 343 appears to favor crafting a brand-new story rather than expanding on the existing one. This is understandable following the mixed reception Halo Infinite got post-launch, coupled with the challenges and shifts 343 Industries faced in the recent past.
Halo Infinite, despite the hurdles it faced, continues to enjoy regular content updates, with the latest being Season 5, Reckoning. However, the broader narrative suggests that Microsoft, along with Xbox, might be evaluating the course of action for the Halo series.
Given the so-so commercial performance and awful critical reception of Infinite, as well as the inherent challenges the franchise has faced under the guidance of 343, it’s conceivable that a fresh start might be the way forward.
This fresh start could materialize in the form of the next major Halo project currently under wraps, which is referred to cryptically as “Tatanka”. Co-developed with Certain Affinity, a studio with a significant history of working on the Halo series, this still-to-be-revealed project is rumored to be an intriguing fusion of the battle royale and extraction shooter genres. As of now, 343 Industries remains tight-lipped about whatever it’s working on outside of the updates to Halo Infinite.
Shifting gears back to the rumored next Halo campaign, there’s growing evidence of its inception, further corroborated by recent job listings on Microsoft’s Career portal. These listings indicate 343 Industries’ intent to onboard professionals to shape the next chapter of the Halo universe, providing subtle yet concrete hints about the direction the studio is heading.
There’s no doubt that Halo Infinite ventured into unfamiliar territory by transitioning from a linear story arc to an open-world setting. It certainly didn’t help that Halo Infinite became a live-service game, which 343 was, as we see clearly now, ill-equipped to handle. Whether 343 Industries will continue down this path remains to be seen.
If nothing else, Microsoft can at least take its sweet time reviving Halo, if it’s indeed planned. With Call of Duty in tow, Microsoft has a marquee shooter to satisfy fans of the genre.
