What Happens To ‘Halo’ Now?

Given how Infinite has gone, and the layoffs that the company just suffered, it just seems extremely unlikely that Microsoft would trust 343 with another grand reset of the Halo universe in a few years, or whenever it might get here. And with all Microsoft’s new acquisition ambitions, Xbox may have to start to move away from Master Chief being the face of the brand, as Microsoft’s heaviest-hitting franchises are about to start being things like Call of Duty and Diablo, if the Activision deal goes through, and Starfield and Elder Scrolls on the Bethesda side.

[Orchard]

I'd love to see it goto iD software - but realistically, the next game will be by 343. Otherwise they would've cut the studio.

[Lifexline]

I agree ID software would be ideal or even certain affinity they have done a good job with Halo.

But it’s about time they moved on from 343 they really tarnished the Halo reputation. Don’t get me wrong infinite was a step in h to e right direction too bad for the lack of content but it was probably the best halo game 343 made.

[crazyCoconuts]

I don't know about best Halo game 343 ever made. The story was really shallow and talk about horrible character development... The brute and all his hologram monologues...ugh. You'd think Chat GPT wrote the script. Combat and gunplay felt right... That enjoyable Halo feeling, but the rest felt gutted.

[VenomUK]

I was reading someone notable was saying his belief that the 343i team, outside of Halo Infinite support, is being minimised and they will just be focused on managing the franchise. So this could make the fan-hope that Microsoft gives the next game to a more capable team. ID Software making Halo 7? They've got the FPS experience to start and complete a project of high quality.

[porkChop]

I think a collab between id and Roundhouse (OG Prey devs) could be really interesting for Halo.

[Profchaos]

After all the bad blood between them hell will probably freeze over first

[porkChop]

I don't think they ever had any issues with id. They had an issue with Bethesda wanting to buy them, yeah. But they later sold to Bethesda anyway and reformed from HHS to Roundhouse.

Would also be nice to finally get Prey 2 from them. That game looked so good.

[Eonjay]

I mean does 343 have to only make Halo?

[Crows90]

hmmm. theyre called 343

[Obscure_Observer]

They are the best studio to handle such complex and immersive franchise at Microsoft.

Don´t like them? Move along a find another game to play.

343i are going nowhere. ;)

[crazyCoconuts]

I read a rumor somewhere that 343 would take more of a stewardship role around the IP and story and allow other studios to develop for them. Don't know if it's legit

[MadLad]

iD makes sense, but that removes key staff and support from Doom.
I think you know at this point that 343 is dead, so I'm really not sure where they're going with the franchise. Halo obviously isn't going away.

If this Activision acquisition wasn't all tied up, I'd actually say Raven would make a good team to give the franchise a shot.

[Sonic1881]

ID software lost a few key people too though and they're not the best at campaign modes or story

[Jin_Sakai]

Someone I was watching on YouTube who apparently has friends at 343i said that they would likely become a publishing partner for Halo since most of the talent has left and Certain Affinity would make the Halo campaign going forward. I have no idea if this is true but it’s sounds possible.

https://youtu.be/QhWWMmZS05...

[VenomUK]

@Jin Sakai. Yes, that's what I was watching!

[darthv72]

CA would be better suited to do the job than the current 343. So unless they decide to fully gut the studio and install fresh meat... 343 is pretty much done and more of a name than anything else.

As for the series, it needs to take a break. Like whatever it was that sony decided to do with God of War after Ascension, where it took a break to reinvent itself... the reveal was just amazingly well timed. Master chief needs to do something similar. Make him hibernate and then bring him back when nobody expects it in a way no one ever saw coming.

[Terry_B]

Nothing.

[StarkR3ality]

Put it on ice for a decade and bring it back when you actually have a good idea on what to do with the franchise. Or better yet, come up with something new.

I love halo, but they have fucked up so bad with 5 and infinite I cannot see where the story goes. Only option would be a free to play multiplayer only game, which would be a damn shame because I love Halo's universe.

[crazyCoconuts]

Maybe it's a good time to reboot the first one. Get back to basics, you get a great story to work with for free, and see if you can capture the imagination of a younger audience. Having played it already I can't say it's what I want, but maybe what they need. They need a win...

[StarkR3ality]

You could reboot the same story but I just think with the MCC they don't need to do that, I just think they'd need to do a a fresh start after a long lay off, a complete reimagining for the entire franchise.

Or like I said, come up with a new Sci-fi shooter that doesn't come with the baggage, maybe get ID to work on a new IP alongside DOOM, I think that could work.

[1Victor]

It would be a shame on Microsoft part if they ice Halo after all it has done for the company “success” Microsoft need to manage the studio better or give it to another more qualified/ experienced studio to work on it

[Profchaos]

Didn't 343 cut their teeth making halo anniversary and it kind of missed the mark.

Be nice to get another team to handle it

[Stanjara]

Halo gone

[ApocalypseShadow]

Would have gotten more attention if they would have released a VR headset like they said they were going to do with high fidelity VR. And supported Halo Infinite Last Gen with Forza having VR too. Then, released a new headset this Gen that supported Halo in VR with higher fidelity. Could have taken immersion of the game to the next level.

Nope.

Instead they spent, supposedly, over 500 million making an unfinished game with an unfinished roadmap and terrible management where they let some people go when they have plenty of money to keep them and just reassign. Their biggest franchise in the gutter needing an overhaul because the company spent more time trying to buy up multiplatform franchises and publishers to monopolize games instead of supporting their own studios fully that they already had. Phil had no clue or was lying that the game was ready. Then, wasn't aware that the game still needed more work or didn't care about the quality and just let it release in poor form.

Can't get any worse. It's already hit bottom. Only way to go is up. Let another in-house developer get a crack at it.

[onisama]

what about giving it to raven studio after the ABK aquisition ends

[MadLad]

Made a post about that before I saw your comment. It makes sense in a lot of ways. They still have a lot of key talent from the old days there. I think they have the potential to do a great job with the IP.
They're solid at handling both engaging first person campaigns as well as handling good multiplayer at the same time.

[cthulhucultist]

It certainly seems that 343 has failed to do the game justice. After all these years in development and nearly unlimited budget, they have managed to transform my favorite franchise into a solid but not Halo spectacular deserving game.

It is clear to me that they should not be held in charge of Halo anymore and that perhaps other studios could try as previously mentioned by others already.

A crossover fps between Halo and Doom would be very nice though

[Einhander1971]

Dead!!

[Tzuno]

Reboot

[senorfartcushion]

It’s funny to see the first article after 10000 layoffs with any reaction on N4G being “but what about the games though?”

[Tacoboto]

This is a gaming website and Halo is one of the most recognizable gaming IPs in the world. Microsoft has $70b they're throwing at an entire publisher while they gut the team created for and responsible for maintaining that IP (among the thousands of others that lost their jobs).

"What happens to Halo" is a fair question and isn't disrespectful to the laid off employees at all - it's a question in full awareness that in order for there to be more Halo, there needs to be an effective and well-managed team to build it.

[senorfartcushion]

It’s also gaming jobs in question. It’s not hard is it.

[Shadowsteal]

10,000 people which is 4% of Microsoft's total headcount.

They get paid 6 months severance to look for their next gig, which with Microsoft on their resume won't take long.

Stop acting like it's so boo-hoo.

[senorfartcushion]

Yeah, I get the class augment, but that’s the point. What happens to the middle class will happen to us twice as easy. If MS aren’t able to keep this amount of people now, it’s only showing what their response is going to be when things like AI customer service is introduced.

Everything regarding this matter is more important than uninterested people like you think it is.

Uninterested is the nice word I’m choosing to use. It’s accidentally so.

[CrimsonWing69]

I’m bored with Halo. 3 and Reach were the apex of the series for me.

[Elda]

Nothing. Unless it starts from scratch by a competent developer that treats it with love & care.

[Flawlessmic]

Reboot it, start fresh, new team new everything.

What worries me is Ms only sacked people from the single player division so I hope that's not a sign of halo going multi only in the future as I always loved halo for its sp.

[r2oB]

So according to the article, Microsoft's heaviest hitting franchises are primarily IPs that they had no hand in creating, from studios they had little to no hand in developing.

[GotGame818]

The Halo infinite campaign is great. It's the multi player I don't like! It could be so much better! I'd rather play Fortnight, and that's been around for years! It's more fun, and more innovative. Sad Microsoft wasted all that money, and failed.

Again, I like the campaign!

[darkrider]

It will take a very long time for any of those games, if ever, to be seen like halo was on Microsoft.

None of those games got any connection to Microsoft. Halo was the flagship title made by Microsoft, the others are payed games. Anyone that think Xbox thinks halo, not Cod or starfield...

What Microsoft did to the halo franchise shows that the problems of the videogaming division are much deeper and money won't solved. If it did, halo would be the biggest game this Gen, because it got the biggest budget.

They probably needed that bungie comeback and revamped everything.

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

What do Halo fans even want? More Masterchief? More kicking ass? More rings? It's bound to get boring. Halo ended with 3 and it should have stayed that way.

[BrainSyphoned]

Nothing but skins for the other games xbox releases a few E3 from now.

[jwillj2k4]

This is a perfect example of why I think COD going to Xbox is a sure fire way to kill the franchise unless Microsoft lets them work in complete isolation which will not happen.

All the money in the world cannot fix broken internal processes which generate shit games. That last Halo is the poster boy for how Microsoft intends to treat its games going forward.

[purple101]

let it lie, bungie and the passion went out with a bang, -halo reach, was a marmite title, - love it or hate it, i loved it, did just enough new while retaining the feel of halo, a'la 2, health bars, one for body armour, rechargeable one for health, not rechargeable (like 007 n6d started)

not been same since.

[jeromeface]

let it die already

[TheColbertinator]

Until Microsoft dissolves 343 altogether... the future looks boring

[autobotdan]

Gears of War is now the face of Xbox.

[sadraiden]

Maybe Halo doesn't need to be a perennial franchise that offers diminishing returns for gamers, capitalizing on your nostalgia to sell copies.

Maybe Halo can just end. Maybe we can incentivize studios to innovate and create new IPs. How many times can John Halo save Corbana?

[Firebird360]

Give halo to coalition

[Destiny1080]

apparently phil is giving it to one of his B teams

[gleepot]

hopefully nothing, we don't need this series in the world

[agnosticgamer]

Maybe another good entry will be developed by an outsourced development studio or in-house 1p studio. 343i has no one to blame but themselves and Bonnie Ross. 343i had a huge budget and tons of time for Halo Infinite, and they failed yet again. That set the foundation for Bonnie Ross to finally be fired "I mean... quit because of family issues"... and probably aided Microsoft's decision to shrink the studio down to appropriate size with the garbage they were producing.

[Profchaos]

343i to remain halo advisory and multiplayer others while any SP projects ongoing to be outsourced