Ahead of the highly anticipated finale at this year’s 2024 Halo World Championship, a shocking video emerged. Set against the backdrop of sweeping vistas reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest, the landscape unfolded with eerie familiarity – ancient Forerunner structures piercing the skies, glaciers stretching out like shards of crystal, and in the distance, a desolate expanse ravaged by the unrelenting scourge of The Flood. We caught fleeting glances of the Master Chief, accompanied by his legendary foes, including a soaring Banshee preceding the camera’s frame. What struck us as peculiar was a development entirely unprecedented.
A bold new dawn is breaking for the iconic Halo franchise. The latest visual assets were crafted using Unreal Engine 5, prompting us to decide that all future Halo projects would leverage this cutting-edge technology, with multiple additional titles currently in development utilizing its capabilities. The studio is undergoing a transformation alongside the engine upgrade, with adjustments to time-honored practices, workflows, and team structures. As part of their renewed strategic focus, 343 Industries’ leadership team is undergoing a rebrand to better align with the company’s evolving identity – Halo Studios is officially launched.
Studio Head Pierre Hintze conceives this juncture as a pivotal moment, akin to flipping a digital page, signaling a decisive shift.
While Halo has undergone significant evolution, upon closer examination, the franchise’s narrative can be broadly divided into two distinct eras: Chapter 1 – Bungie. Chapter 2 – 343 Industries. Now, I believe we now have an audience that is hungry for more. We won’t merely aim to amplify the impact of our improvements; instead, we’ll fundamentally reformulate the creative recipe that defines our Halo gaming experiences. As we embark on a fresh start in the present day.
By transitioning away from the studio’s proprietary Slipspace Engine and instead utilizing Unreal, this shift plays a pivotal role in their transformation process. Prior to its game development focus, a significant proportion of 343 Industries’ staff was dedicated to creating and maintaining the game engine that powered their titles. According to Hintze, we envision that the consumption patterns of gamers have shifted – players now expect instant access to their desired content. “On the same day, we were simultaneously building a tech stack designed to position us for future success and working on video games.”
As the gaming landscape continues to shift, with players increasingly eager for fresh titles from beloved series, the team at Halo Studios recognized the imperative to adapt, responding to the growing demand for faster-paced game releases. “As COO Elizabeth van Wyck has stated:”
“The approach we took when creating early Halo titles no longer serves us well as we look to develop future games.” As companies look to optimize their resources, our expertise lies in empowering game developers to focus on creating engaging experiences, rather than building the tools and infrastructure that support them.
As part of the studio’s overall revamp, transitioning to Unreal Engine enables Halo Studios to develop visually stunning games that capture the attention of fans, allowing for the creation of multiple teams working on distinct projects simultaneously. Moreover, Unreal Engine’s built-in features would require years of development to replicate in Slipspace.
While 343 Industries has consistently worked on Unreal, there are certain aspects that Epic Games has been developing over time, which are not accessible to us within Slipspace – and replicating these features would have required a tremendous amount of time and resources to accomplish.
As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the gaming experience, a key concern is expanding and refining our virtual worlds to provide players with more opportunities for collaboration and exploration. Thanks to Unreal’s revolutionary Nanite and Lumen technologies, we now have the opportunity to pioneer an approach that has never been attempted before in our industry. For us artists, attempting this project is an electrifying experience.
There’s another inbuilt profit – Unreal Engine is well-versed in interacting with major segments of the broader gaming industry. With developers needing to invest considerable effort in mastering Slipspace to join 343 and Halo Studios’ adoption of this industry-leading engine making the process significantly smoother for introducing new talent, the studio’s approach is undoubtedly effective.
For Van Wyck, it’s not about the time it takes to launch a game to market, but rather how quickly his team can update and refresh the experience for players, responding to shifting gamer preferences. While building the game is a crucial aspect, it’s equally important to focus on recruitment efforts. Typically, it takes around 3-6 months for a team member to develop the necessary skills and expertise to produce high-quality content that meets our game’s standards.
As the development shifts to Unreal Engine, the transition process becomes more seamless, leveraging existing knowledge and enabling the asset collection to evolve rapidly and naturally, unlike before.
Ultimately, Halo Studios sought assurances regarding the transition to Unreal, a decision not taken lightly. What is required to guarantee a faithful recreation of the original Halo video game series without relying on the proprietary Slipspace engine is a robust workforce with expertise in creating visuals, audio, and overall gameplay that accurately capture the essence of the originals. As a result of experimentation by the workforce, an innovative project known as Project Foundry was undertaken, ultimately providing the foundation for the numerous new clips we’re seeing today.
“When we decided to pursue the Foundry project, it wasn’t initially part of our strategy,” notes Van Wyck. While we might have preferred to pause and reorient ourselves – “validate” doesn’t quite capture our intent; rather, let’s take the opportunity to educate ourselves, gain perspective, and assess our capabilities so that we can confidently proceed along the right trajectory.
After intentionally keeping a low profile so far, I think it’s essential to share where we’re at, what our top priorities are as a studio, and where our team stands today. Here’s a revised version:
So what does Foundry signify? The workforce is eager to showcase a novel gaming experience – yet, it’s far more than just another tech demo. Rather than being a straightforward demonstration of what’s feasible with this engine, it serves as a genuine reflection of the potential requirements for a novel Halo game utilizing Unreal, thereby serving as a training tool to get there. The Foundry has been crafted with the same meticulous attention to detail, rigorous development process, and unwavering consistency as a commercially released game would be.
“In traditional practices within the industry, the notion that all is well often belies a complex web of smoke and mirrors,” Matthews reveals. “It often takes players on unexpected routes where they think something is about to happen, only for something entirely different to occur.” What drives Foundry’s philosophy is fundamentally the opposite of that.
“Each aspect of our work is meticulously crafted to meet the specifications that guide the development of our video games, setting the stage for their future success.” With a deliberate focus on avoiding the realm of technological demonstrations. “We’ve created scenarios that are genuinely imaginable, and a substantial portion of the content we’ve developed can potentially be transported into our games at some point in the future if we choose to do so.”
Hence, it’s forthright to acknowledge that our objective is for nearly all the features showcased in Foundry to ultimately be incorporated into tasks we’re building, or forthcoming projects.
What our initial exploration has revealed about Foundry portends an extraordinary array of problems. Dubbed after the iconic Foundry from Halo’s richly detailed lore, a team embarked on an ambitious project to craft three unique biomes within the universe of Halo. The aim, according to Matthews, entailed creating something familiar, something novel, and something genuinely foreign.
The Pacific Northwest, a stalwart of our collection, is reimagined in a bold, new light. In the midst of majestic mountains, waterfalls thunderously cascade down, while a babbling brook transforms into a scenic backdrop for an intense standoff between the stalwart Chief and two formidable Covenant Elites. The resulting landscape is a lush tapestry of greenery, pushed to its technical limits by the Unreal engine’s capabilities.
The Coldlands location presents something entirely novel, a region encased in an icy grip, where snowdrifts engulf vast plateaus, and crystalline ice both reflects the scenery above and refracts the secrets hidden beneath. Here is the rewritten text: What drove the development of the Blightlands was the desire to explore the innovative potential of the revamped Halo workforce, propelling the series further beyond its predecessors’ boundaries and yielding results that speak volumes for themselves?
Even familiar faces seem novel in Foundry’s unassuming setting. With meticulous attention, the Chief’s armor has been meticulously crafted, every aspect, including individual panels on his combat gloves, a testament to the team’s dedication and commitment to detail. As wielded by an Elite, their power sword exudes instability, its crackling swoosh imbuing it with an aura of raw, malevolent energy that perfectly reflects their ruthless identity. The goal wasn’t solely to challenge the studio, but rather to leverage Foundry’s capabilities to tackle gaming issues unseen with Unreal Engine across the industry; similarly, Halo originated as a graphical showcase for the original Xbox, aiming to recapture that momentum.
Halo Studios has collaborated intensively with Epic Games, the creators of Unreal Engine, to ensure seamless integration and achieve their ambitious goal.
“Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 has enabled Halo Studios to defy conventions, according to Vice President and General Manager Invoice Clifford, who praises the franchise’s innovative approach.” “We’re thrilled to support the talented team at Halo as they bring their creative ideas to life using the powerful Unreal Engine platform.” By undertaking Foundry’s work, it is evident that they will bring Halo to vivid life through exquisitely rendered, meticulously crafted environments.
Despite appearances, the essence of Halo lies not just in how it appears, but in how it makes you feel – the intuitive rhythm of combat, the visceral punch of gunfire, and the sensation of being an integral part of the Master Chief’s iconic suit. While Foundry may focus on external-facing endeavors, Halo Studios remains committed to preserving the intrinsic qualities that make Halo so beloved by its fans.
According to Van Wyck, the notion of switching engines at the studio has lingered as a consideration for a considerable period. “After the release of Unreal Engine 5, we decided to create Halo games that honor the franchise’s true essence while also allowing us to develop projects of unprecedented scope and ambition that meet players’ expectations.”
“The essence of Halo transcends mere visual effects,” affirms Matthews. “It’s the lore. It’s the physics. As the Chief takes part, he embodies an imposing figure – a robust and formidable warrior whose commanding presence is felt by all who encounter him. What drives gamers’ passion for the iconic franchise that is Halo? Consistently listening to these suggestions is at the heart of initiatives like Foundry and our studio’s vision for future progress.
“We’re deeply intrigued by the intangible factors,” said Hintze. The dynamic interplay between you and the Gravemind, or your Spartan-II supersoldier, or the formidable Covenant enemies. To ensure the integrity of our game’s narrative, we exercise meticulous care in every aspect of production, from the exactness of weapon details to the realism of animated sequences. There exist certain subtle indicators that serve as a confirmation we’re observing correctly.
As we look ahead to what’s on the horizon at Foundry, As expected, the workforce is mum on the specifics of their latest game developments – we’re merely at the starting line of this new chapter, far from the final level. It’s only natural that a new Halo installment isn’t around the corner just yet. The Slipspace Engine will underpin continued support for Halo Infinite, enabling future Operations and Forge mode updates. In the world of competitive gaming, the Halo Championship Series has just unveiled a fresh and exciting development: four new events, taking place over the course of an entire year. The potential trajectory of future Halo developments remains uncertain, with various paths and decisions yet to be made.
The quietness is by design. It is crucial to acknowledge that the primary focus must shift from mere discussion to tangible action.
Amidst a plethora of concerns, one that particularly weighed on my mind was the persistent need to dispel misconceptions surrounding prospective candidates’ “must-haves”. Simplicity is key: we should strive to deliver more value with fewer words. As I understand our current stance, it’s crucial we maintain a posture of humility and servant-like dedication towards our Halo fan base, building on the foundation we’ve established thus far.
As conversations unfold, let’s seize opportunities to address concerns at the appropriate magnitude? As we navigate the modern landscape, we’re taking the first step in showcasing Foundry’s significance, driven by the need to be transparent and accountable to the Halo community, while also extending an invitation to like-minded innovators to join our team. The subsequent step may involve discussing the video games themselves.
What’s evident is that Halo, in its multiple forms of improvement, has reached a new level of excellence. The place where innovation thrives noticed that your entire studio was singularly focused on a single, dynamic project; however, Halo Studios has since reoriented its efforts.
According to Hintze, the team placed an inordinate emphasis on creating opportunities to ensure service excellence. “By transitioning to Unreal, we’re able to dedicate our full focus on crafting several innovative experiences at an unparalleled level of excellence.”
As part of this transformation, a crucial aspect has been the reorganization of Halo Studios as a whole, aimed at empowering innovation teams to create something entirely fresh.
“When it comes down to it,” says Van Wyck, “we’ll only succeed by crafting video games that meet our players’ desires.” “That which truly motivates us should guide the architecture of our creations.” The intended outcome of this design is that developers responsible for creating games every day should be entrusted with deciding which games are included.
The studio workforce will likely seek additional expertise from external sources on these occasions:
“We’re seeking increasingly early and broader input from our players.” We initiated this approach with Assortment, successfully building upon it through, and our intention is to further leverage this strategy for our future endeavors. At the end of the day, it’s not just what we think matters; it’s what our players think counts.
343 Industries, initially founded to develop Halo games, appears to have undergone a significant transformation in its new incarnation as Halo Studios, refocusing exclusively on crafting exceptional gaming experiences that meet players’ expectations.
“‘You’re wondering why we consider this a fresh start,’ notes Hintze.” “We wish a singular focus. At this studio, everyone shares a singular focus: crafting the most exceptional Halo video games imaginable.
