halo-2014
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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]
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]
Rumor: Xbox One major update, Titanfall console, Halo 2 HD, Crackdown 3
Several Xbox One-related rumors that have been swimming around for a while have been consolidated in one NeoGAF post. Whether this is a controlled leak, someone with a big mouth or having a laugh, the post definitely touches on several insider details. So, let's get started ... The highlights include Halo Anniversary 2 scheduled for this holiday, along with Quantum Break and Sunset Overdrive. Crackdown 3 isn't expected until 2016, with Fable Legends in 2015. The next Gears of War is likely another 2.5 years hence. The Verge also took the opportunity from the leak to mention a white Xbox and a Titanfall branded Xbox One console. Oh, and the first major Xbox One update is planned for March while Titanfall DLC is planned for 45 days and 120 days after release. If you'd like to sift through all the nitty gritty rumors, head on over to the NeoGaf cantina. [Image: Shutterstock / alphaspirit]
'No plans' for a Halo movie, says Microsoft
Spartans never die, readers; they're just Missing In Action. Likewise, it seems that rumors of a movie based on the Halo series also will not die. This newest wave of rumors traces back to a since-deleted tweet from Production Weekly which, according to GamesIndustry International, stated, "The Halo project is a live-action feature-length digital produced by Ridley Scott." It wasn't long before Microsoft put an end to the speculation, however. In a statement to Eurogamer, Microsoft said there were "no plans for a Halo motion picture at this time." This makes sense: getting a Halo movie off the ground has a long and troubled history, and Microsoft has already announced plans to create a Halo-branded television show with the assistance of Steven Spielberg. Pitching audiences on a television show, a movie and an upcoming game would be a lot of plasma grenades to juggle.
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.
Current Halo trilogy is now a 'saga'
The Halo series' current Reclaimer Trilogy is now a "saga," a Microsoft representative confirmed with GameSpot during E3. "While we originally said trilogy, we've actually expanded this to more of a saga, so we don't want to limit the Reclaimer story within a trilogy," the representative explained. The Reclaimer Trilogy was originally set to span from 2012's Halo 4 through the eventual Halo 6. Xbox head Don Mattrick recently referred to the franchise's E3 showing as "Halo 5." Speaking with GameSpot, Microsoft Game Studios corporate VP Phil Spencer declined to say whether the next Halo game will be a fully fledged sequel or a spinoff in the vein of Halo: Reach. "It is the next Halo game that we are working on," Spencer told GameSpot. "We will talk more about actually the story arc in the game and how it plays out; we've got more time to talk about that." Whether the next game is Halo 5 or something else, Spencer did note that it will be "a legitimate version of Halo."
Xbox boss says $500 Xbox One is 'over-delivering on value,' name-drops Halo 5
The $500 price tag for the Xbox One elicited audible gasps during Microsoft's E3 press conference. Speaking to Bloomberg, Xbox head Don Mattrick defended the hefty price, saying that Microsoft is "over-delivering on value" with the Xbox One. "It's a lower number than some of the analysts had forecasted," Mattrick said. "We're over-delivering value against other choices, I think, consumers can get. Any modern product these days, you look at it [and] $499 isn't a ridiculous price point. We're delivering thousands of dollars of value to people, so I think that they're going to love it when they use it." What will convince consumers to opt for Xbox One, he said, is the breadth of services the console will have available. Specifically, he mentioned Twitch streaming, Skype and SmartGlass. During the same interview, Mattrick also referred to the next Halo game as Halo 5. At Microsoft's E3 press briefing, a reveal trailer referred to the game simply as "Halo."
Halo coming to the Xbox One in 2014 [Update: trailer!]
Master Chief will make the transition to the next generation with a new game in the series for the Xbox One slated to arrive in 2014. Bonnie Ross at 343 Industries referred to the title simply as a "Halo FPS," noting the game would run on dedicated servers, use Microsoft's cloud computing infrastructure and run at 60 frames per second.%Gallery-191153%
