343 Industries has rebranded itself as Halo Studios as it shifts focus to new Halo projects powered by Unreal Engine 5.
It's a new day for the Halo IP and its developer, 343 Industries. Following more than a year of rumors, layoffs, and general confusion surrounding the IP's future, 343 Industries has confirmed that the future of the franchise will be built on Unreal Engine 5. As part of that change, 343 Industries is leaving behind its old name and embracing a new one, Halo Studios, and altering its technology, structure, processes, and culture to make developing Halo games a different experience.
Bye bye Slipspace, Hello Unreal
Embracing a new future for Halo means letting go of the past. The proprietary Slipspace Engine that powered Halo Infinite is gone. In its place is Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5. According to Halo Studios, the decision was ultimately made due to Slipspace's technical difficulties and the fact that the studio had to dedicate numerous resources to maintaining the engine. With the switch to Unreal 5, Halo Studios and its developers can focus solely on developing great games. They're now a pure game development studio rather than a development and technology studio.
