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'Halo Infinite' director Chris Lee steps down amid production turmoil
It's not a great look for the delayed flagship Xbox title.
A Bungie veteran will attempt to get 'Halo Infinite' back on course
Joseph Staten worked on the original trilogy as a writer and cinematics director.
'Halo 3' arrives on PC on July 14th
343 Industries is completing another piece of the 'Master Chief Collection' puzzle.
Microsoft's latest preview program lets you test 'Halo' PC releases
There was already a preview program for the Master Chief Collection when 343 Industries was fixing the Xbox One version, but it's giving the concept another shot now that the PC ports are on the way. It's launching a Halo Insider Program that will give you a chance at playing pre-release versions of all Halo games and services, whether they're for console or PC, in return for feedback. You're not guaranteed to get into every test, but it may your best shot at playing a future Halo game in advance.
The 'Halo' arcade game is playable at every Dave & Buster's
There's a new Halo game out this summer and you don't need an Xbox to play it. Instead, all you have to do is roll up to any Dave & Buster's and start popping quarters into it. Halo: Fireteam Raven is a four-player co-op on-rails arcade shooter developed by Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix, set during the events of the first (and best) game. Fireteam Raven plays out across a 130-inch wide 4K screen.
Microsoft's Xbox exclusives will come to Game Pass on launch day
To date, the Xbox Game Pass has been a tricky value proposition. While there have been a few recent hits, it frequently comes across as a clearinghouse for games whose best days are over. You'll have a better reason to subscribe going forward, though: Microsoft has promised to add all of its in-house Xbox One exclusives to Game Pass the moment they're available. Sea of Thieves will be one of the first when it launches on March 20th, and this should also include the long-delayed Crackdown 3 as well as future games in franchises like Halo and Gears of War. So long as you're paying that monthly fee, that blockbuster title won't cost you extra or require a months-long wait.
Microsoft taps 'Minecraft' leader to run its game studios
Now that Phil Spencer is managing Microsoft's broader game platform strategy, who's going to fill his shoes? Now we know: Microsoft has appointed Matt Booty, the overseer of the company's Minecraft teams, as the corporate VP of Microsoft Studios. He'll watch over all of Microsoft's own game publishing efforts, including Halo's 343 Industries, Gears of War's The Coalition and Forza's Turn 10. This isn't just about handing over the keys, though -- as Spencer explained to VentureBeat, it's also about improving the company's first-party game business.
The best Xbox One games
The Xbox One has come a long way since its 2013 debut. Microsoft has fixed the console's hardware flaws with the One S and the recently released One X, but now it has a different problem to address: a dearth of compelling games you can't play anywhere else. In recent years the company has relied on timed third-party exclusives that eventually make their way to other platforms or are also available on Windows and Steam. It happens on PS4 as well, but the difference there is that Sony has a wide assortment of games that you can only play on its console. That's not to say there aren't exclusive games worth playing on Xbox; it's just that they're buried among annual Forza racing games, middling modern Halo releases and the testosterone-fueled Gears of War franchise. Microsoft has promised to break out of that predictable release cadence, though, so the future could be brighter than you may have come to expect. As it stands, these are the best Xbox One games you can play right now.
'Halo Recruit' brings the Xbox series to mixed reality
Microsoft already announced that it was working with 343 Industries on Halo experiences for mixed reality, but today the company revealed its first one: Halo Recruit. The game will be available starting October 17th -- you can either try it out in Microsoft Stores across the country, or download it from the Windows Store for free.
Get ready for 'Halo' in VR
Microsoft regularly uses Halo as a selling point for its technology (see: the original Xbox), and that's definitely true in the virtual reality era. The tech pioneer and 343 Industries have revealed that they're working on Halo mixed reality experiences. The two aren't saying anything more at this early stage, but it's safe to say these offerings will run on Windows Mixed Reality headsets whenever they're ready... and of course, Microsoft is bound to hype them to the hilt.
Yes, Microsoft is still working on a 'Halo' TV series
Remember the Halo live action TV show Microsoft announced way back in 2013? Unlike Spartans that never die, it sure felt like the project's been dead for quite a while. The tech titan told AR12Gaming in an interview, though, that it has never stopped developing the series and that it's still working with Steven Spielberg and Showtime like it said years ago. 343 Industries, the Microsoft Studios subsidiary in charge of the franchise, said it's merely taking its time to ensure that the final product can meet fans' expectations.
'Halo 5' will run in 'true 4K' on Xbox One X
Halo 5 is getting the "true 4K" treatment with the Xbox One X. During Halo 5's pre-release hype cycle, Microsoft said that it was so focused on hitting 60 frames per-second with the game that there weren't any sacred cows -- including split-screen co-op, a series staple. Maybe don't expect that to return with the Xbox One X's more powerful innards, though.
'Halo' will bring back local multiplayer
When I critiqued Halo 5: Guardians, the lack of split-screen co-op was low on my list of gripes with the game. But that's not to say it wasn't a problem. In the lead-up to the 2015 game's release, developer 343 Industries crowed that there were no sacred cows on the road to hitting 60 FPS in the campaign mode -- including the local co-operative play that'd been a part of the series since 2001. That's changing, though. "I would say for any [first-person shooter] going forward we will always have split-screen," 343's head Bonnie Ross said recently at the DICE summit in Las Vegas, according to Polygon.
'Halo' developer hints it could revive a scrapped Mega Bloks game
Lately, there's been a lot of buzz around footage PtoPOnline posted of a scrapped, Mega Bloks-themed Halo action game. Why did it get the axe when its mix of shooting and construction looks like a blast to play? You're not about to get that exact title, but you might see something like it in the future. In a news update acknowledging the leaked game (known internally as Project Haggar), current Halo developer 343 Industries has said that there may be a game "along these lines" as a result of all the "positive support and feedback" from fans watching the Mega Bloks clip.
Join the perfect match in 'Halo 5' with the custom game browser
Today's update to Halo 5: Guardians adds a long-requested feature to Xbox One and Windows 10: a custom games browser. The new browser allows players to search for in-progress games from the main menu, customizing search parameters by specific maps, modes or players. It's been a long time coming, considering Halo 5 debuted in October 2015.
'Halo 5' is getting an eSports reality TV show
Microsoft really wants to make a big deal out of competitive Halo 5 gaming, and it's taking an unusual route to get there. The company's 343 Industries and Electronic Sports League have reached a deal with Pilgrim Media Group to create an eSports-focused reality TV series. Details of what it involves are scarce, but it will bring the "intensity and extreme competition" of Halo 5 to the TV, whatever that might mean. There's no mention of a planned air date or even distributors, so it's unclear when you'll have a chance to watch. It's safe to say that Microsoft will find some way to make the series available to Xbox One owners, though.
Russia's free, PC multiplayer Halo game has been cancelled
Remember that Halo game you heard about that wasn't launching in North America? Well, now it's not launching anywhere. Halo Online was originally intended to be a free, multiplayer game designed exclusively for the Russian market. Despite launching a closed beta in its target market, the project's staff has announced that Halo Online is no more. The game has been cancelled.
'Halo 5' multiplayer is coming to PC... sort of
Leave it to Microsoft to fulfill fans' long-standing wish of bringing modern Halo multiplayer to PC and then obfuscate accessing it in the most spectacular way possible. It's coming by way of Forge -- Halo 5: Guardians Edition for Windows 10. As the name suggests, the free download is for Halo's custom map toolset, Forge, and it features full keyboard and mouse control, up to 4K resolution and the ability to build stuff on PC and then play on Xbox One. The devil is in the details here, though: the Xbox Wire post also mentions that you can test levels and play them with your friends on PC.
Microsoft wants you to hack together a 'Halo 5' app
Sure, you've been making multiplayer levels with Halo 5: Guardians' Forge mode, but now Microsoft wants you to create something different for the game. Like a web app or something along those lines for the stats coming from its online gametypes. Last year near Halo 5's launch developer 343 Industries released an API in beta, and now it's added access to "raw match events endpoint" data that the studio says will offer a wealth of info on each kill from any match. That's including, but not limited to, Gamertag of the rival, weapon used in the kill, where it was in terms of the game's play clock and map coordinates for where it went down.
'Halo 5' gets cooperative Firefight game mode this summer
Apart from the odd silly weekend playlist, Halo 5 doesn't really cater for your more casual gaming moods. You've got Arena matches for classic competition, and Warzone games when you're up for grand-scale carnage. A more chilled (or not) cooperative mode is coming, though, in the form of Warzone Firefight. It'll pit you and chums against increasingly overwhelming waves of alien enemies, similar to cooperative multiplayer modes you may have played in previous Halo titles. Over the weekend, Microsoft revealed a few more details about the new game type, as well as a trailer to get you nice and hype.