All articles tagged with #halo studios
After Halo Campaign Evolved shipped, some contractors reportedly lost work, but Xbox says there were no layoffs among Halo Studios’ internal staff; contractor staffing shifts after a launch are common as Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) continues the Halo: Combat Evolved remake on Unreal Engine 5.
Halo Studios laid off staff a week after Halo: Campaign Evolved released, with developers posting about departures as Microsoft-wide job cuts continue; the full scope isn’t known, though the remake sold about 212,000 on Steam and roughly 900,000 on Xbox and is also on Game Pass.
Halo Studios, the Xbox Game Studios unit behind Halo: Campaign Evolved, reportedly laid off several employees shortly after the game’s release amid claims the development was troubled and resource-heavy. Employees including producer Nick Treitman and Scrum Master Paul Morris confirmed cuts on LinkedIn. The report notes Campaign Evolved consumed more resources than planned, contributed to the cancellation of another Halo project, and involved a rebuild after outsourcing issues; Halo Studios also shifted to an Unreal Engine 5-based approach for future titles, with the Abstraction studio removed from the project. This comes as Microsoft is pursuing a broader wave of Xbox layoffs totaling around 3,200 roles, with about 1,600 already cut earlier this year.
Premium Edition buyers on Xbox and the Xbox PC App report being unable to access Halo: Campaign Evolved’s early access at launch. Halo Studios says it’s investigating and sharing updates, with temporary workarounds like power-cycling the console or running wsreset on PC. Microsoft fixed a recent Xbox Live outage, but access problems for the Premium Edition have persisted, prompting frustration even as the game has received strong reviews.
Halo Studios’ Halo: Campaign Evolved presents a full remake of Halo: Combat Evolved built in Unreal Engine 5, designed to honor the original while delivering modern fidelity. Using Project Foundry as a test bed, the team set a new quality bar, focusing on environments, atmosphere, and five art pillars—Military/Sci‑Fi, Aspirational/Spectacle, Grounded/Relatable, Intriguing/Storied, and Thoughtful/Intentional—while rebuilding assets from scratch and aligning them with Halo lore. The project also weighs CE and Anniversary learnings to preserve the core experience, and introduces three bonus missions with a new Covenant faction, the Sacristan, featuring ornate but Halo-consistent design. Aiming to evoke the awe of the original and appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers, Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28 (Premium Edition with up to 5 days of early access starting July 23).
Halo Studios explains that Halo: Campaign Evolved is a ground-up remake built in Unreal Engine 5 to honor the original Halo: Combat Evolved while leveraging modern tools for richer visuals. They used Project Foundry to test workflows, defined Evergreen Assets, and rebuilt every asset from scratch to align with five art pillars (Military/Sci-Fi, Aspirational/Spectacle, Grounded/Relatable, Intriguing/Storied, Thoughtful/Intentional) and lore, ensuring a faithful yet new experience. The three bonus missions introduce a new Covenant faction, Sacristan, with ornate, alien environments, while staying true to Halo’s history. The game launches July 28, with Early Access beginning July 23 via the Premium Edition."
Halo Studios has reportedly canceled Project Ekur, a large-scale Halo multiplayer concept prototyped by Certain Affinity featuring playable Spartans and Elites with full customization and big-team battles. The cancellation, tied to broader Xbox cost-cutting and reported development problems, leaves the fate of Halo’s competitive multiplayer uncertain, with no official statement issued.
Rebs Gaming's video cites anonymous Halo Studios staff alleging studio head Pierre Hintze fostered a hostile environment, berated teams, and mismanaged projects, with claimed inaction from Microsoft HR and senior Xbox leadership, raising questions ahead of a major Halo release.
Windows Central examines claims that Halo Studios leader Pierre Hintze berated staff and repeatedly referred himself to HR; while some sources describe a pattern of friction and internal pushback, Microsoft reportedly did not uphold the complaints, leaving Halo’s leadership and campaigns like Campaign Evolved under heightened scrutiny amid broader Xbox layoffs.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is due July 28 (July 23 for Premium buyers). Halo Studios released six hours of looping main-menu footage to showcase the game's visuals and audio; the Collector's Edition is sold out, and the title will also be available via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on launch day.
A Halo: Campaign Evolved feature by Dom Peppiatt recounts his initial skepticism about a faithful yet modernized Halo CE remake, but after a short hands-on session he found the effort surprisingly compelling. The Unreal Engine 5 visuals, authentic sound design, and faithful feel elevate the experience, with changes like faster reloads, shield/health recharge, no health packs, fall damage, sprint, ADS, and even four-player co-op that, while divergences from the original, can enhance play and accessibility. Some nitpicks remain (peppy voice acting, floor markers) but the reviewer argues these tweaks reinvigorate Halo, offering a modern entry point while still allowing classic play through options. The game is set for July release on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and Steam, including a premium version.
Halo Infinite received a surprise patch that adds Firefight: Gauntlet—a four-player, wave-based mode with a Harbinger boss across five arenas, plus two Forge maps and a Ranked Legacy playlist. The update arrived with little fanfare, underscoring ongoing post-launch support from Halo Studios even as Halo: Campaign Evolved is on the horizon, prompting questions about the game's longer-term future.
There are rumors that Halo Studios is actively developing remakes of Halo 2 and Halo 3, in addition to an Unreal Engine 5 remake of Halo: Combat Evolved (Campaign Evolved). The reports also mention potential cross-content nods from the other Halo entries and a Skull modifier, plus talks of a new multiplayer project and a follow-up mainline Halo game in development.
A new Rebs Gaming report expands prior accusations against Halo Studios, with former staff alleging hiring favoritism and cronyism, as well as mistreatment of employees and the Digsite mod team being unpaid. Glenn Israel, a former art director, is cited claiming multiple externally posted art-lead roles were filled by former Halo associates, suggesting a troubling pattern. The piece calls for Microsoft intervention ahead of Halo Campaign Evolved and includes internal communications warning of unethical practices.
Halo Infinite's active development will end on November 18th, with the last major update, Operation: Infinite, marking the conclusion of new content for now. Despite initial plans for a 10-year saga, the studio shifts focus to new projects, though support and community events will continue. The announcement follows recent studio changes and layoffs, signaling a significant change for the franchise.