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San Diego Comic Con gets the first look at Halo: Nightfall
Halo: Nightfall, the live-action digital series from Halo franchise custodian 343 Industries and producer Ridley Scott, will shed some of its metaphorical armor at San Diego Comic Con next week, allowing us a glimpse at the soft, squishy, human bits hiding underneath. Kiki Wolfkill, executive producer at 343, and Frank O'Connor, franchise development director, will lead a panel including "key Halo: Nightfall cast and crew" that will also give attendees a sneak peek at the series' story and production. So far, all we know is that the plot will hinge on Agent Locke, the mysterious figure who appeared above Master Chief on the Halo 5: Guardians cover. The Halo: Nightfall first-look panel will begin July 24 at 11:45 a.m. Pacific in room 6BCF at the San Diego Convention Center. If you can't make it, don't worry - Halo: The Master Chief Collection will grant everyone who purchases it access to the series. [Image: Microsoft]
Master Chief Collection teaches the meaning of friendship
Halo: The Master Chief Collection will give fans a new look at Master Chief's pal The Arbiter this November, if a cryptic new trailer is any hint. You think you know a guy, then it turns out his history as part of a genocidal alien armada might not be the only stain on his past. [Image: Microsoft]
Ridley Scott's 'Halo' project is a prequel to the next major 'Halo' game
In a way, director Ridley Scott's Halo-themed project, dubbed Nightfall, brings Microsoft's tentpole shooter franchise full circle. Master Chief's galaxy-spanning exploits owe a giant debt to the filmmaker's iconic tale of deep-space horror, Alien, and now Scott is helping establish where the franchise goes on the Xbox One. As 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross said during my meeting at E3 this week, working with him "kind of upped the bar" on the series, especially compared to 343's last attempt at live-action, the Halo 4 lead-in Forward Unto Dawn. "Hopefully we get better each time," she said. Nightfall tells the origin story for Agent Locke, a character Ross said plays a "pivotal role" in Halo 5: Guardians. As far as story, that's as much as we know so far. Ross isn't sure how many episodes Nightfall will span, but said that there will be five of them leading into Halo 5's beta timeframe.
The fate of Forge in Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Although navigating the menus of Halo: The Master Chief Collection doesn't make it absolutely clear, the four-game collection featuring Microsoft's cyborg hero will include the multiplayer customization mode, Forge. "Forge Mode is in there," 343 Industries Franchise Development Director Frank O'Connor tells Joystiq, adding that preservation for the collection is a top priority. Forge Mode allows players to drop in-game assets into emptied multiplayer maps to create new structures. In Forge, players can also alter properties of their created maps to developer new game modes. O'Connor also assured us that the collection will also feature saved films, for Halo 3 and Halo 4, and for the first time, Halo 2.
Halo 5: Guardians beta launches December 27
Microsoft's planned Halo 5: Guardians beta will begin December 27 and run for three weeks, ending on January 17, 343 Industries Studio Head Bonnie Ross tells Joystiq. Beta access will be available via 343's upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection, launching on November 11 for the Xbox One. The collection – revealed during Microsoft's E3 media briefing yesterday – includes each game in the Halo series which features Master Chief as its protagonist: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition, a new anniversary update of Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4.
Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta coming in December [Update: trailer]
The Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta will launch in December, Microsoft revealed today at E3. Those looking for access to the UNSC's upcoming firefight can guarantee their entry in the beta by purchasing Halo: The Master Chief Collection, due November 11. Microsoft announced Halo 5: Guardians last month, revealing a mysterious box art image depicting an unknown character standing as a literal reflection of Master Chief. It is being developed by 343 Industries, who took the reigns on the Halo franchise from Bungie, who themselves have sought out a new Destiny. [Image: Microsoft]
343 Industries partnering with Skullcandy for Halo audio gear
In the Halo games, turning on skulls will change certain aspects of the game. For example, Grunt Birthday Party makes alien heads explode with confetti. Hopefully that won't happen to you when you turn on a different kind of Halo skull - as in, a Halo-branded headset from audio manufacturer Skullcandy - but we make no promises. 343 Industries, Microsoft and Skullcandy announced this week that the companies have partnered together for a multi-year deal that will result in new Halo-themed gear, including headsets and speaker tags. The deal also encompasses ASTRO Gaming, a division of Skullcandy. Unfortunately, exactly what these products will look like, what they'll do, how much they'll cost and when they'll be available are as of yet unknown. Considering Master Chief's penchant for stumbling across forbidden information, maybe we'll find out soon. [Image: Skullcandy]
Rumor: Halo 1-4 bundled in Master Chief Collection for Xbox One
The saga of Master Chief will be packaged up in Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One this year, Engadget reported. The bundle will seemingly combine Bungie's Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3 as well as 343 Industries' contribution, Halo 4, into one HD-remastered pack. The Master Chief Collection will apparently ignore Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach in order to hone in on the story of the iconic hero. The bundle would tide fans of the series over for the time being, as Halo 5: Guardians is slated to launch on Xbox One in fall 2015. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo 5 and its 'Guardians' coming to Xbox One in 2015
The newly christened Halo 5: Guardians is coming to Xbox One in fall 2015, giving dev 343 Industries time to ensure it has "the scope, features, and scale we've been dreaming of for more than a decade." Those are the words of GM Bonnie Ross who, ahead of a one-and-a-half years wait, underlined the efforts going into ensuring the Chief's Xbox One adventure fits the bill in 60 frames per second, and with dedicated servers for multiplayer. "Halo 5: Guardians is a bigger effort than Halo 4," Ross wrote on Xbox Wire. "That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what's now a brand new and more powerful engine. Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we've invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One's hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen." [Image: Microsoft]
Oculus first-party team being built by ex-343 art director
Kenneth Scott, former art director for 343 Industries and id Software, has joined Oculus VR to help build a first-party development team. Oculus tweeted the news Monday, listing Scott's new title as Oculus Art Director. Before taking up the mantle of responsibility at Oculus, Scott worked as a visual design consultant for 343, having left his position of art director in January. What Scott and the numerous other Oculus converts will be working on is unkown, though CEO Brendan Iribe tossed around the idea of a billion-person MMO metaverse last week. In any case, something is drawing developers to Oculus, and we doubt the potential to drastically increase their Facebook friend count - seeing as Mark Zuckerberg now owns them - is the only reason. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
No Halo movie in sight, but a 'digital feature' is coming this year
Microsoft's monolithic Halo franchise has yet to make it to movie theaters, but that hasn't stopped protagonist Master Chief from stomping onto other, shorter pieces of film. Microsoft and 343 Industries have vaguely announced a new Halo "digital feature project" to be released in 2014, and for all we know it could be a web-series, extravagant commercial, music video or a P90X video designed to wreak havoc on cybernetic glutes. It doesn't sound like a movie, however, and it will likely to be available online. Dropping Ridley Scott's name certainly helps: Scott, last seen in cinemas with The Councelor and Prometheus and wait-don't-go Blade Runner, is the executive producer on this project, while Sergio Mimica-Gezzan directs. Mimica-Gezzan directed some episodes of Battlestar Galactica, not including (phew) "Scar" or "Black Market," as well as Heroes and Under the Hood. Microsoft isn't confirming any more details regarding this Halo endeavor, but stresses that it won't hassle the "premium" Halo show underway at Xbox Entertainment Studios. The television series based on Halo is attached to Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg. The most recent bits of live-action Halo came in the form of "Scanned," a David Fincher-produced short promoting Halo 4 (seen above), and that game's preceding web-series, Forward Unto Dawn. [Image: Microsoft Game Studios]
Halo: Spartan Assault drops tomorrow on Xbox 360
343 Industries and Vanguard Entertainment's twin-stick shooter spinoff Halo: Spartan Assault will launch as a downloadable game for the Xbox 360 tomorrow, following up on previous releases for the Xbox One, Windows 8, and Windows Phone. Played from an overhead perspective, Spartan Assault features an array of missions that players can tackle alone or with friends in an online co-op mode. The Xbox 360 version of Spartan Assault is bundled with the "Operation Hydra" expansion, which adds new weapons and an additional five levels on top of the game's 25 campaign missions. The Xbox 360 version of Halo: Spartan Assault will be priced at $14.99 when it hits the Xbox Live Marketplace tomorrow. Players who purchased the Windows 8 or Windows Phone versions of the game before December 15 last year can get the Xbox 360 edition at a discounted rate of $4.99.
Pro Halo player hired by 343 Industries
Professional Halo player Eric "GH057ayame" Hewitt, pictured on the right, is now employed at 343 Industries. Over the weekend, Hewitt tweeted an image of a boarding pass showing he was headed for Seattle and changed his Twitter account bio, revealing his new gig. Hewitt joins former professional players Mason "Neighbor" Cobb and Sean "Dersky" Swidersky, who were both brought on late last year. Hewitt is best known for creating the Team Throwdown competitive playlist in Halo 4 and previously fought for Team Carbon. 343 is currently working on the next Halo game, due to launch this year on Xbox One. At E3, 343 Industries General Manager Bonnie Ross said it would run at 60 frames per second, utilize dedicated servers and benefit from Microsoft's cloud computing infrastructure. [image credit]
343 Industries loses Halo 4 art director, gains 'Visual Design Consultant'
Kenneth Scott spent four years working as senior art director on Halo 4, but has now decided to leave that position to spend more time with his family. That said, he's not done with 343 Industries. "We're thrilled to announce that Kenneth's long-time colleague and collaborator, Nicolas "Sparth" Bouvier will step into the position of Art Director," a Microsoft representative told IGN. "Kenneth will continue to work with 343 Industries remotely and partner with Nicolas in a newly created role as a Visual Design Consultant. We can't wait to share more details regarding the future of 'Halo' very soon." It's unclear how much input Scott will have on the Halo universe going forward, though it seems likely that he'll have a hand in the design of the upcoming Xbox One Halo game. There's almost nothing known of that entry to date, beyond the trailer which debuted in June of 2013. Nicolas Bouvier has long served as an artist for the Halo franchise, but his designs can also be found in Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within and id Software's RAGE. For more immediate examples of what Bouvier can do, pay a visit to his Tumblr where he shares many examples of his artwork.
Halo: Spartan Assault now available on Xbox One
Halo: Spartan Assault is now available on Xbox One, just in time for the holidays. The top-down shooter is $14.99 and out one day earlier than it was expected to launch on the next-gen platform. The game is still coming to Xbox 360 in January after it already arrived on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices in July. Developed by 343 Industries and Vanguard Games, Halo: Spartan Assault is set between the events of Halo 3 and those of Halo 4. In it, players take control of either Commander Sarah Palmer or Spartan Davis, completing more than 30 missions against Covenant forces. The game includes online cooperative multiplayer as well, though it will not be cross-compatible between Microsoft's two home consoles. [Thanks, Chum!]
Tomb Raider, Republic Commando creative director joins 343 Industries
Tim Longo, creative director of Star Wars: Republic Commando and Tomb Raider has assumed the familiar position of - wait for it - creative director, at 343 Industries. Beyond Entertainment spotted a change in Longo's Twitter biography noting the job change earlier today, which sees him replacing Halo 4 creative director Josh Holmes. David Ellis, designer at 343i, also hinted at Longo's new position when he tweeted that he looked forward to giving Longo regular feedback as he plays through the recently-announced Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Longo replied that he's "all #343Industries & @HaloWaypoint now!" Holmes' LinkedIn profile lists his most current position as "Franchise Creative Director" for 343i, but his Twitter biography has been updated to read "EP [Executive Producer] @ 343." We've reached out for clarification on the position changes.
Halo 4 anniversary unleashes silly, bizarre, terrifying outtakes
Halo 4 is now a year old, and to celebrate the milestone, developer 343 Industries has offered a look at some of the content that didn't make it into the retail game for reasons ranging from simple collision problems to an overwhelming level of mind-rending horror. The video (which can be found on 343 Industries' site) starts off calmly enough, with franchise director Frank O'Connor introducing what you would expect to be a staid look at content that would otherwise go unseen. Seconds after O'Connor fades from view however, things take a turn for the crazy. Rainbow Warthogs, moonwalking Master Chiefs and twirling robots abound. Character models twist and contort in unnatural fashion, guns fire vehicles instead of bullets, and untextured heads shriek terrible litanies thankfully muted by the clip's jaunty soundtrack. The outtakes are by no means required viewing, but today, a week before the next generation of gaming kicks off in earnest, it's nice to take a moment to relax with the sort of insanity our favorite pastime can unwittingly spawn.
Halo: Spartan Assault storms Xbox One, Xbox 360
Microsoft has announced Halo: Spartan Assault is coming to Xbox 360 and Xbox One this December. Multiplayer between Xbox One and Xbox 360 is not supported. Halo: Spartan Assault is an omni-directional top-down twin-stick shooter originally unleashed on Windows-based PCs, tablets and phones by 343 Industries and Vanguard Games. Set between Halo 3 and Halo 4, the game chronicles covert Spartan Ops missions during the period of ceasefire between the UNSC and Convenant.
Check your pockets for $10, pick up Halo 4
If you haven't checked out 343 Industries' take on Master Chief yet, Amazon has it for just $10. We gave Halo 4 a big old five stars out of five when we reviewed it last year, Ludwig-117 deeming it, "one of the best games in the series and one of the finest shooters in years." All of which sounds pretty good for 10 bucks.
Halo 4 Master Chief statue coming to protect your desk from tiny aliens
A limited edition, 12-inch tall statue of Master Chief will be available via McFarlane Toys starting December 6 for $295, the action figure and collectibles company has revealed. The statue depicts Master Chief as he appears in Halo 4 - or more accurately, how he appears on the game, as the pose seems modeled after the Halo 4 cover. Each of the limited run of 1,000 statues will come with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Todd McFarlane, as well as three interchangeable weapons: the Assault Rifle, the Energy Sword and the Boltshot. The statue's official page does not currently offer pre-orders, so if you want to get your hands on Chief before the Covenant Didact other collectors do, you'll want to keep a vigilant watch on the McFarlane Toys site.
