Halo Makes Big Promises For the Future But They Ring More Hollow Than Ever
Halo could have a bright future, but it's hard to buy in on old talking points.
Tell me if you've heard this one before. In the wake of failing to meet expectations with the latest Halo entry, Xbox decides it's time to drastically overhaul its flagship series. Its first move is to shift the game engine that future Halo games will be developed within. This engine change comes alongside those working on the franchise saying that they're trying to tap more into the roots of the Halo series that was established in Halo: Combat Evolved. In turn, fans get excited and convince themselves that Halo's best days are still ahead despite going through a rough patch.
This is the exact playbook that Xbox and 343 Industries opted to use when first revealing Halo Infinite. That game's promotional cycle was littered with hype about the new Slipspace Engine, which was going to represent the biggest and most important investment that Xbox had ever made in Halo. Instead, Slipspace proved to give developer 343 Industries fits and was pinned as one of the main reasons behind Halo Infinite's troubled development.
Rather than learn anything from these mistakes of the past, 343 Industries, which has now been rebranded as Halo Studios, is opting to simply put forth the same messaging. In its new video detailing what's next for Halo, the developer confirmed previous reports that it will now be creating future Halo titles in Unreal Engine 5. While likely being a positive move for the series, the way that UE5 was talked about in regard to Halo was virtually identical to the way that Slipspace was at one point pitched to fans when Infinite was unveiled in 2018.
Even if Unreal Engine 5 does look gorgeous, it's just astonishing to see Xbox and Halo Studios go back to this sort of hype cycle and promotion for what comes next with Halo. While the messaging seems more aimed at prospective developers looking to join the team working on Halo, fans have been through this process before and have largely been left disappointed. So that begs the question...
Why Should Fans Trust Halo Studios?
As you can tell, I'm pretty jaded about Halo at this point. I was all-in on Halo Infinite and was one of the game's most vocal supporters throughout its development. Even after a rough first showing and an eventual delay of a full year, I chose to remain optimistic about the final product. Even when it launched, I gave Halo Infinite a fantastic review and asserted boldly that "Halo is back." What I didn't realize is that 343 would soon after lose all of its momentum with Infinite and would begin delaying and scrapping previously promised features. This combined with a multiplayer suite that was incredibly shallow cut the game off at its knees before it even stood a chance.
With this history in mind, I'm past the point of buying in on empty platitudes when it comes to Halo. 343/Halo Studios needs to do more in the months and years ahead to show how Halo will be changing for the better. What has been learned in the wake of Halo Infinite? And what is there to be hopeful about outside of another new game engine and improved visuals? Simply saying that earlier entries in the franchise are again being looked to for inspiration isn't going to cut it. This has all been said before and will likely elicit eye-rolls from many fans rather than genuine excitement.
Halo needs to become a trailblazer in the first-person shooter space like it once was in a time that seems so distant. To that end, though, Halo Studios has to completely alter the way in which it has been making Halo games for over a decade as a simple rebrand won't change the deep-rooted issues that have mired past installments.
For Halo to Thrive, Its Development Has to Change
One of the biggest criticisms of 343 Industries (and Microsoft as a whole) is how it has relied on contract workers throughout previous development cycles. While contractors aren't inherently an issue, it was widely reported that the reliance on these types of employees greatly hurt Halo Infinite's creation. Since all incoming contractors would have to first get accustomed to working in the proprietary Slipspace Engine, by the time their contract would come to an end, they would potentially be let go without having done as much development on Infinite as one would think. In turn, those in charge at 343 were left constantly teaching the ins and outs of Slipspace to contractors who were constantly being funneled in, which stretched them thin as well.
As a result, the move to Unreal Engine 5 is one that's incredibly positive as it's one of the most widely used engines in game development. This will allow new employees at Halo Studios to come in and immediately have some level of familiarity with what's being done and hit the ground running.
Even if Unreal Engine 5 is a great first step, contractors as a whole need to also be greatly diminished moving forward. Having a staff that is always turning over to some degree doesn't foster creativity or ingenuity in the slightest. I have no doubt that those who are at Halo Studios now and have been there in the past feel the same way. As a result, this problem needs to be rectified by those who have authority within Microsoft to ensure that the mistakes of Halo Infinite aren't repeated once again.
At the end of the day, I want to have renewed hope for Halo. It's one of my favorite video game franchises and is something that I think could thrive in the current market. Instead, mistake after mistake has led to Halo continually failing to meet expectations for over a decade. As a result, I'm not buying into what Halo Studios is selling just yet, especially when what's being promised is so similar to the initial pitch for Halo Infinite. If what's next for Halo is truly going to be for the better, then Halo Studios and Microsoft have to prove it with the final product for once. Instead, if what we're given is another disappointment, then I truly begin to struggle to see how Halo can continue along in the years and decades to come.
