343 Industries rebrands as Halo Studios, now developing multiple games using Unreal Engine 5.
Microsoft has unveiled significant changes to 343 Industries, the studio behind the Halo series, including a rebranding, a new game engine, and the development of multiple new titles in the franchise.
343 Industries will now operate under the name “Halo Studios.” An Xbox Wire post confirmed that in addition to the rebranding, the studio is undergoing “changes in culture, workflow, and team structure.”
A key aspect of this shift is the decision to retire the studio’s proprietary Slipspace Engine in favor of Unreal Engine 5, a transition that was first reported in 2023. Going forward, all new Halo projects will be built using Epic Games’ technology, with several titles currently in development. This move has been described as “a new dawn for Halo.”
Studio leaders spoke to Xbox Wire about the reasoning behind the switch, highlighting the advantages of hiring talent already proficient in Unreal Engine, rather than spending resources training staff on custom tools. Previously, 343 had to allocate “a large portion of its staff” to maintaining Slipspace. Now, the team is working with Epic Games to tailor Unreal Engine to meet the specific needs of the Halo series.
“The way we made Halo games before doesn’t necessarily align with how we want to develop games moving forward,” said Halo Studios COO Elizabeth van Wyck. “Our focus is now on empowering the team to make games, rather than spending resources building engines and tools.”
The studio emphasized that this marks the “beginning of a new chapter,” but there are no immediate plans to announce or release a new Halo game. Instead, the focus will remain on supporting Halo Infinite with updates and content while the next generation of titles is in development.
These changes come after a period of transition for 343, following the 2021 launch of Halo Infinite. The studio has faced challenges, including leadership shifts and being impacted by Microsoft’s broader layoffs. Long-time studio head Bonnie Ross stepped down in 2022.
