Almost three years after its most recent release, the Halo franchise is making a major change by switching from the proprietary Slipspace Engine to Unreal Engine 5. With Halo Infinite having suffered from extended development times and a somewhat mixed reception upon its 2021 release, 343 Industries is taking the series through a major change - one that can hopefully ease development troubles while still retaining the franchise's signature feel.

As announced in a showcase video and an article posted on Xbox Wire, the Halo franchise will be moving away from the proprietary Slipspace Engine that was developed for Halo Infinite, and will instead be moving forward with the more ubiquitous Unreal Engine 5. Alongside this change, 343 Industries is also being renamed to "Halo Studios", and it's been confirmed that multiple new Halo games are currently in development.

The change, as explained by several Halo developers, should serve to allow for faster development of more games, and more easily allow Halo Studios to hire additional developers.

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While Halo has continued to enjoy a largely positive critical reception, many fans of the series have become alienated by its direction (or lack thereof) during 343 Industries' tenure, a problem that was exacerbated by the six-year wait for the somewhat lackluster Halo Infinite. The announced shift in direction, therefore, has instilled some hope in the future of the franchise, as the newly renamed Halo Studios at least recognizes the need for a major change - and the prospect of multiple new games with hastened development times is a promising start.

However, despite Halo Studios' insistence that the "Project Foundry" showcase developed in UE5, shown in the "A New Dawn" video, is more than just a tech demo, a portion of the fanbase isn't entirely convinced. While the Project Foundry clips show off parts of the Halo universe in impressive graphical detail, they are also a reminder, to some fans, of the initial reveal trailers for Halo Infinite, which similarly showed off impressive visuals but no actual gameplay.

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While some fans have their doubts, though, I think the new direction for Halo can be regarded with, at the very least, cautious optimism. Extended, expensive development periods have become a major issue for not just Halo, but the AAA game industry in general, and that the developers at Halo Industries recognize that and are taking steps to rectify it is a good sign, showing a willingness to learn from past mistakes. However, optimism can only go so far - the direction can only actually be judged when the new UE5 Halo games are released and playable.

With Slipspace seemingly being responsible for a large share of Halo Infinite's development troubles, it makes sense for the series to shift to Unreal Engine 5, which should in theory be easier to troubleshoot and require less onboarding for new developers. But while the announcement can instill some cautious optimism in longtime fans of the series, it remains to be seen whether it will actually result in better Halo games.

Sources: HALO/YouTube, Xbox Wire