Introduction: In the entire Microsoft and Xbox gaming library, the Halo series is among the most famous titles, but also one of the most lucrative ones. Over the past two decades, it managed to expand outside of the video game space. It turned its military science fiction stories into TV shows, comics, collectible figurines, and much more. But, in the last several years, the franchise struggled to find its bearings with new gaming releases, including the most recent game, Halo Infinite. However, with last year’s rebranding of the development studio and the launch of the Project Foundry initiative, it seems that the future holds several options for the same first-person shooter. Among these are multi-platform releases, as well as a possibility of taking the Halo series into other genres. Presently, rumors about other genres are focusing mainly on the real-time strategy space, as well as the third-person action adventure, all using the powerful Unreal Engine.
Article: Back in 2024, the entities behind the Halo series decided that it was the right time for some big changes. During the last Halo World Championships, Microsoft announced that the old 343 Industries is becoming Halo Studios. Along with that, the companies shared that they are starting up the Project Foundry, a multi-pronged development outfit that would begin experimenting with Halo gaming concepts, but inside the Unreal Engine 5 ecosystem. These development experiments were not set up as direct early-stage demos for new games, but trials and assessments of different technological and conceptual ideas. Among these, the successful ones should be grown into entire games, or these could be added to existing Halo sequels or spinoffs. In any case, the mission of Fondury was something that was long-term and geared towards the future of the entire series, not just one or two individual games.
Due to that, Microsoft was also adamant that the next steps for the series will include several new games, as well as branching out into the territory of new genres. All of those are presently being tested and explored under Project Foundry and its experimental projects. But, as many fans of the series noticed, that process still had to provide any tangible results. Now, Halo bosses seem to be preparing to showcase the new games, while there is a growing level of industry chatter and rumors about what the upcoming titles might be. One thing is certain – the period where there were no new Halo games in development is quickly coming to an end.
Halo World Championships Announcements
Halo Studios recently recognized that there is a lot of interest and speculation about new games in the series. While the studio noted that it usually did not respond to online rumors, this time they decided to announce when more information would be revealed. That moment will take place in this year’s Halo World Championship. The event is going to take place in Seattle, lasting three days and starting on October 24. Here, anyone interested in the series will get the whole scoop on the activities of Project Foundry and where its experiments ultimately lead. However, even now there is enough information and general industry trends to make two educated guesses. First is that the series will include some form of a remaster or remake of its first game, Halo: Combat Evolved, which would be available on different gaming platforms, not just Xbox. The second one is that in all likelihood, Foundry experiments showed that Halo can be taken to the space of real-time strategies, either grand ones or those on a smaller, tactical scale.
Halo: Combat Evolved Remastered
Presently, doing a remastered version of a highly popular title with a long-running series is the safest possible bet for any big development company. With the closure of so many projects and nearly constant layoffs in the gaming industry, anything remotely risky is generally getting shut down by executives. For Halo, going back to the first game that started it all in 2001 can be easily done, thanks to the Foundry experience in Unreal Engine. On the other hand, the game would not require any game design decisions that might prove to be unpopular with the audience. Instead of any kind of similar risk, Halo Studios would just make a polished, modern version of its old game. The case of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered shows that this approach can provide huge financial success as well.
Halo Strategy Game
Besides remastering projects, it looks like the Halo Foundry team also experimented with real-time strategy concepts. These would fit well into the lore and the overall combat mechanics of the Halo world. Games like StarCraft already exhibit narrative spaces that are very similar to those of Halo, while the developers could decide what particular approach the game could take. For example, a Halo strategy might include an economy and base-building elements, but just as easily, it could be a tactical strategy where players control a squad of individual soldiers, led by Master Chief. For any such game, developers would have access to a huge array of existing units, vehicles, and settings at their disposal. Additionally, Unreal Engine capabilities, which have proven themselves in a number of real-time strategies over the years, would make the development streamlined.
Multiple Platforms
Combined, all of the hearsay and rumors point to the certainty of a new Halo game coming somewhere in 2026. The precise news on that will come at the end of October, but what is just as important is the fact that this new game will be multi-platform. Gone are the days of Microsoft guarding its titles and consoles from any and all competitors. Going forward, Xbox gaming is looking to branch out into PlayStation territory, as well as Nintendo Switch. A new Halo game will have the marketing punch to become a big multiplatform title. The Foundry team is likely working on ensuring that the Halo games work on all of these just as well as they do on an Xbox console. While it is too early to determine whether or not the rebranding of Halo Studios and its strategic pivot turned into a success, it does seem that the general thinking around it was correct. Today, no AAA company can consciously ignore other consoles and no big gaming franchise can lay dormant for years. Halo looks ready to take on this new approach to making games and distributing them. This also means that the fans of Master Chief, Cortana, and other famous characters from the series have more than one thing to look forward to in 2026.
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia