Halo 4
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Halo 4 creative director Ryan Payton leaves Microsoft, opens Camouflaj [update]
Moving from Metal Gear Solid 4 to Halo 4, ex-EGM freelancer turned game producer Ryan Payton was building a resume of high profile sequels to rest his career on. But before he could help Master Chief finish the next fight, he announced that he was leaving 343 Industries and Microsoft to open his own studio, Camouflaj. "Some people say I'm crazy, but I want to make a game that one billion people play at once, and it's something that hits them harder than a great book or film," Payton says of Camouflaj's future projects, of which there are currently two in development. In 2008, Payton helped launched Metal Gear Solid 4 as assistant producer at Kojima Productions in Tokyo, but when his mother in the US was diagnosed with cancer he decided to move closer to home. After interviewing at "several" studios, he decided on Microsoft, where we now know he was working on Halo 4. Unfortunately, it seems that the Halo he wanted to build wasn't exactly what Microsoft had in mind. "The Halo I wanted to build was fundamentally different and I don't think I had built enough credibility to see such a crazy endeavor through," he told Kotaku in an interview. After seeing friend and Haunted Temple Studios creative lead Jake Kazdal laboring on his own project, Skulls of the Shogun, Payton decided it was time for a change. "I think time is the most valuable thing we have, and I've decided that I'm not going to waste one more day working on something that doesn't speak to my values." Update: Microsoft has released a statement regarding Payton's departure, stating: "343 Industries has assembled an all-star cast of talent working on 'Halo 4' under the design leadership of Studio and 'Halo 4' Creative Director, Josh Holmes. We're excited to tell the next story in the 'Halo' universe with 'Halo 4' as the first game in the Reclaimer Trilogy. Ryan Payton, who left earlier this summer, served as Narrative Designer on 'Halo 4' for 15 months. Armando Troisi was hired as the 'Halo 4' Narrative Director in March, having formerly served as the Lead Cinematic Designer on 'Mass Effect 2.' Ryan has been a great friend and colleague during his tenure at 343 Industries and we appreciate his contributions to the team. We wish Ryan the best in his new game development venture."
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson examines the Warthog in Forza 4
As the irreverent host of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson is used to hanging out with a near-mythical character that's obscured behind a shiny helmet. Commenting on Master Chief's fictional ride is just another day on the job, really.
Halo 4 videos give inside look at concept art and audio
Halo Waypoint has orbitally dropped a couple of videos from this weekend's Halo Fest at PAX. They feature sounds from a deadly potato gun and concept art from the upcoming Halo 4.
Halo 4 begins The Reclaimer Trilogy
The new Halo series will be named the Reclaimer Trilogy, developer 343 Industries revealed at the PAX Halo 4 panel. Halo 4 is a direct sequel to Halo 3, and the new trilogy will emphasize Master Chief as both a character and a force to be reckoned with. The iteration of Master Chief in this year's E3 teaser was not the final version, and 343 wants to sell "the fantasy that Master Chief is an 800-pound hero that is part tank, part jet fighter" with the Reclaimer Trilogy. Cortana will play a large role in Master Chief's storyline, in a "unique relationship that hasn't been addressed in other games," 343 said. The Reclaimer Trilogy will balance classic Halo gameplay with innovations in weaponry and abilities to give long-time fans a sense of something new, 343 said. Creative director Josh Holmes described Halo 4's overall gameplay in simple, traditional terms: "Well, it plays like Halo."
Examine Halo 4's Warthog in Forza 4's 'Auto Vista' mode
Ever wanted to know the deep lore behind and automotive specs inside Halo's most abundant form of military transportation? You can and you will, provided you pick up Turn 10's upcoming racer, Forza Motorsport 4. At last night's Halo Fest event, the studio announced that the new, Halo 4 model of the ubiquitous Warthog would be featured as an easter egg in the game's spectatorial "Auto Vista" mode. This means that you'll be able to sail around the new iteration of the car (using either a controller or Kinect-based gestures), manipulating its every feature and learning more about its backstory thanks to some 343-penned narration. The best part? Those voiceovers are performed by Jen Taylor, the actor behind Halo's luminous guide, Cortana. The worst part? The Warthog's only viewable in Auto Vista mode, and won't be driveable in actual races. We suppose that would be unfair, because, you know, chaingun.
Spencer: Halo without Master Chief just isn't as 'centered' on what players want
We're not 100 percent sure what Microsoft Game Studios head Phil Spencer is trying to say in this quote from E3, but as far as we can tell, he's just happy that Halo 4 is returning the player to Master Chief's head. He says he wants to make sure that the new game "lives up to what I think gamers fell in love with," and for him, that means being the Chief again. Spencer says Halo Reach "made more sense to you if you were a Halo fan. If you were new to Xbox 360, 360 is where you started playing on Xbox, you understood what Halo 3 was. ODST and Reach, maybe you weren't as centered." So, newcomers want -- and expect -- to play as the Chief, whereas fans of the franchise were fine with something new. At any rate, Spencer's just trying to make it clear that Master Chief is coming back, in both the anniversary remake of Combat Evolved, and Halo 4 next year. Why couldn't you just say that, Phil?
Halo 4 finishes the fight (again) in 2012 [Update: teaser trailer!]
At Microsoft's E3 2011 keynote today at the Galen Center, Halo 4 was officially announced -- surprise! Master Chief and Cortana are back (kicking off a new trilogy, apparently), the brief teaser trailer showed. 343 Industries is at the reigns with a Holiday 2012 launch date proposed. Update: Hit the jump for the teaser!
Microsoft's new Xbox 360 UI has Bing voice search across Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and live TV
Quick refreshing of Microsoft's E3 landing page has apparently revealed some of the things it will be announcing within a couple of hours at its E3 press conference, including new features for Xbox Live like Voice Search and new look for the service. With the explosive popularity of the Kinect add-on, it looks like the system is being refashioned with support built in from the ground up as opposed to the current menu system that's more of an afterthought. Also mentioned on the page are Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports Season 2 and most importantly, two new Halo games. One is Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary which appears to be the HD (& possibly 3D) remake leaked by Joystiq previously, while the other is Halo 4 -- no explanation needed. We'll surely find out everything when the press conference kicks off live at 12:30 p.m. Eastern and of course we'll be covering all of the news live right here. Update: Microsoft's just confirmed some of the leaked information onstage at its E3 keynote, with demonstrations of a deeply integrated voice command setup powered by Kinect. YouTube has been announced as an Xbox Live partner, while Bing is coming to the console to let users search across Netflix, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Hulu all at once.That universal search also extends to new live TV partnerships with Sky, Canal+ and Foxtel. Update 2: Want a better look at the revamped Xbox 360 UI that blends in more of a Metro look with the old Kinect UI elements? Look no further than the gallery below. %Gallery-125534% %Gallery-125417% [Thanks, q & Pradeep]
Rumor: Halo 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary revealed early by Microsoft
Halo 4? Halo: Combat Evolved ... Anniversary? Wait ... Halo 4?! Allegedly, these titles (and more) were revealed by Microsoft itself, hours ahead of its 10AM (PT) press conference, on the company's E3 community site. NowGamer supposedly spotted the posting, which has since been removed by Microsoft, but not before a mess of details were loosed. Among them: news that "Halo 4 is on the way." A scene from the end of Halo 3 prefaces the news, which also teases "but that's not all." As we reported back in February, a Halo: Combat Evolved "remaster" is also apparently in the pipeline. The image says nothing beyond the game being "remastered for a new generation," and dubs it "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary" -- just in time for the ten year anniversary of Halo 1's original launch in November of 2001. We've reached out to Microsoft for comment, but we imagine we won't hear anything back until Microsoft's official presser in a few hours.
Bungie considered a 'Halo 4' before proceeding with Reach
Before Bungie started work on creating a game based on the planet-glassing excitement that is the fall of Reach, discussions at the studio momentarily went in the direction of a Master Chief resurrection tale -- a direct continuation of the Halo trilogy's story as "Halo 4." Bungie community man Brian Jarrard told the MTV Multiplayer blog as much in a recent interview, saying, "Even before the idea to build a game based around Reach came about, a lot of other concepts were explored, up to and including a proper 'Halo 4,' where Master Chief was going to wake up from cryo-sleep and we were going to tell that story." So he is in cryo-sleep and not dead?! ... Ahem, please excuse us. Jarrard continues, adding that while Reach is a prequel to the first Halo title, it's not meant just for hardcore fans of the trilogy. "We don't want to open up a whole bunch of doors that we're not going to close. By the end of this, it's all going to come to a nice, neat finish, and if people want to then go play the Halo trilogy, I think they'll have a better understanding of what's going on, but it's not required at all." He also confirms that the Chief is nowhere to be found in Reach (though, canonically speaking, the Chief is on the planet during the game's timeline), which just about breaks our fragile space heart into a million pieces.
'Gearbox is NOT working on a Halo title for Microsoft'
Hey guys and gals, have you been keeping up with this Gearbox/Halo thing? Yesterday, we heard Gearbox president Randy Pitchford kind of stumble over himself in response to the rumored Halo game. Today, it's a different story, with the Halo Waypoint Twitter account declaring, "For the record, Gearbox is NOT working on a Halo title for Microsoft."Before you start going crazy with cries of, "But, it's Twitter!" and "It's probably a fake!" realize that we've confirmed with Microsoft's Major Nelson that it is, in fact, a legitimate account. Is that the end of that, then?
Gearbox doesn't deny Halo involvement, speculation ensues
It's no secret: Gearbox and Bungie have been rumored to be in cahoots on a Halo project for some time now. Eurogamer is the latest to try and pry loose some info, speaking recently with Gearbox's Randy Pitchford on the matter. Pitchford seemed to have slipped up during the interview, not necessarily confirming the game's existence, but not really denying it either. When asked, Pitchford apparently replied, "Haha! We're not going to talk about anything ..." It was then that a PR rep interjected, stating that Gearbox could not "talk about that." Talk about what? What's "that"? If this is your denial, Gearbox, we're not convinced. We'd like to take this at face value, but then we wouldn't be very good at our job. So, we've contacted Gearbox to get word straight from the horse's mouth and will be sure to update you all if and when we hear anything.
We're applying to work at Microsoft's 'Halo Studio'
Well, Joystiq had a good run. Into the ground, perhaps, but a run nonetheless, one characterized by reams of poorly composed text, startlingly accurate self-deprecation and the uncanny ability to be simultaneously biased for and against everything ever. And to think, all we had to do was sit around in our underwear and furiously mash the keyboard with our palms.As we've proven to be quite adept at this activity, we've decided to redirect it towards the very similar career of creating video games. In fact, Microsoft's Careers site has just alerted us to the company's yearning for a "technical and highly talented program manager" in "Microsoft's new Halo Studio." We've played Halo quite a lot, actually, so we're sure our skills will be more than "instrumental in helping to lead the development of the engine that will power future experiences for the next generation of gaming platforms." Right, so Halo 4 for the NextBox 360. Easy.Alright, so our "expertise with DirectX, Xbox SDK, leading content-creation packages, or other games-related technology, or a track-record in shipping technically challenging entertainment titles" might not be ... there ... and we might not describe ourselves as "highly-motivated self-starters," but ... uh. Maybe this isn't for us after all. We'll just throw together a few reams of poorly composed text about it instead.[Via Gameguru. Thanks, Sameer]
Microsoft's Halo team bolstered by Gearbox's Corrinne Yu
The juicy "Gearbox is developing Halo 4 OMG" rumor continues to be at the top of fanboy debate lists, with Microsoft confirming to Kotaku that Corrinne Yu, director of technology at Gearbox and pictured in full Spartan armor, has been hired as principle engine architect (fancy!) for the Xbox manufacturer's internal Halo team. The official statement: "As the Halo franchise continues to flourish, Microsoft Game Studios is growing its internal team to develop future Halo projects."And what could "future Halo projects" entail? Microsoft isn't blabbing, but suspicious men in trenchcoats posit that Yu will be working on the nebulous Peter Jackson project and putting her Unreal Engine 3 expertise to good use.
Variety: Gearbox approached about Halo Game
Following up on yesterday's rumor out of OXM that Gearbox may be handling Halo 4, Variety's Ben Fritz reports that his source close to the dev confirms that it "has definitely had conversations with Microsoft about doing a new Halo game and is very excited at the prospect," but that "there was no deal in place." For those who might not remember, Gearbox has a history with the Halo franchise, having handled the PC version of the original game.Fritz reckons it's "quite possible" Gearbox will helm a new Halo project ... it's just "not a certainty yet." If it happens, that would make at least four Halo-related titles in the works: Halo Wars; the Halo game that Bungie was supposed to reveal at E3; Peter Jackson's interactive take on the Halo universe; and whatever Gearbox may or may not be crafting. Given that OXM's rumor regarding Halo 4 as a launch title for 360's successor (if there even is one), we should expect to hear something official either way in, oh, the next year or two.
OXM: Halo 4 in development by Gearbox
Filed under juicy Halo rumor news, we have information coming from the pages of the latest issue of OXM that tells us that Halo 4 is currently in development, but NOT by Bungie Studios. According to OXM, Halo 4 is currently being developed by non other than Gearbox Software ( Halo PC anyone?) and is being worked on for release as a launch title on the next Xbox console. ZOMG! Funny thing about the rumor is that, earlier this year, Gearbox's head honcho Randy Pitchford mentioned that they were working on a super secret project that is "even bigger" than anything they've ever worked on before. Halo 4 definitely fits that bill.
OXM rumor: Gearbox developing Halo 4 as launch title for next Xbox
Remember back in February when Gearbox Software big boss Randy Pitchford teased his studio's next project as something "big"? Well, not just "big" but something that was "even bigger" than anything Gearbox is currently working on? Well, the kids at OXM sure remembered and they sent their spies deep undercover into Gearbox territory and came back with one heck of a rumor for their October issue: Gearbox is working on Halo 4 as a launch title for the next Xbox (NextBox?).With Bungie admittedly uninterested in creating Halo games ad nauseum, and Gearbox one of the industry's top FPS developers, we've certainly heard crazier rumors. And there are few licenses that would get a studio chieftain to inadvertently slam his own games in development. Whatever the project is, Pitchford has said he'll be directing it himself, adding, "When you find out what this is, you'll likely agree that I can't oversell this one." Nope, you probably couldn't Randy. Overselling Halo is Microsoft's job anyway; you guys just make with the shooting of the aliens ... no, the other aliens.[Thanks for the tip, Jordan!]
Halo 4: Typo, Halo Wars, or real deal? [Update 1]
Update: The auction has been listed at a new location, and no longer extends past Halo 3. Frankie has confirmed that the whole "Halo 4" thing was a sad excuse for a joke.We told you that there is an auction on eBay for a cameo in Halo 3 as a voice over and it comes in at a pricey $1,000 USD as the opening bid. While that's cool and all, the thing that has been grabbing all the attention is that if the winner doesn't do the recording by May 15th, 2007, "this package will have to [be] redeemed for Halo 4." This caused a stir and made people wonder if it was confirmation of a continuation of the story that was slated to conclude in Halo 3, or if they meant Halo Wars, or if it was a ploy to generate hits for the auction. Our friends over at the 'stiq confirmed that the wording came straight from Bungie, but it didn't clear up their intent. Now, though, if you look at the auction page, there is a rewritten description beneath the original. It states that "if you miss this deadline, this opportunity becomes applicable to a future Bungie project." So, that makes a lot more sense, and hopefully someone (with deep pockets) will start bidding on this item, since it's for charity and all. [Via Joystiq. Thanks dpcough]
Halo 3 voice-over auction with Halo 4 redemption? [update 1]
An auction for charity points to signs of Halo 4. The eBay auction is a chance to have a voice-over cameo in the upcoming Halo 3. The bidding started at $1000 and the money goes directly to support Hollywood Arts, which reaches out to homeless youth in Los Angeles through the arts, including video games.We've confirmed the voice-over donation and copy printed in the auction came directly from Bungie and says, "Voiceover [sic] will be recorded at Blindlight Studios in Hollywood, CA before May 15, 2007 or this package will have to [be] redeemed for Halo 4. Winner is responsible for transportation and accommodations to and from Hollywood, CA." Executive Director of Hollywood Arts, Dylan Kendall, is excited by the auction and for the generosity shown by Bungie and many other companies. She says Tommy Tallarico assisted in helping get the auction items. Although we've confirmed that the Halo 4 line was written by Bungie, it could also just mean Halo Wars. So, Bungie really helped out Hollywood Arts big time. They wrote auction text that would get millions to view the page by just mentioning Halo 4 -- now that's how you hype charity! [Update 1: Fixed information after speaking with Hollywood Arts' Executive Director Dylan Kendall][Thanks Master x 24]
