343 Industries rebrands to Halo Studios, confirms series move to Unreal Engine 5

343 Industries is no more (sort of). Prior to the grand final of the Halo World Championship 2024 eSports tournament, the developer confirmed that it has rebranded to Halo Studios, turning a new page for the legendary franchise.

It also revealed that Halo Studios will move to Unreal Engine 5 for all future projects, of which several are in development. This marks a move away from its proprietary game engine, the Slipspace Engine, making it easier for new developers to come in and hit the ground running.

Halo is making the jump to Unreal Engine 5

Halo Studios revealed the news with an impressive UE5 video showcase titled Project Foundry, hitting all the classic Halo notes: Master Chief, Elites, Energy Swords, and even the Flood.

Nothing was officially confirmed, but given what was shown, it looked suspiciously like the Halo: Combat Evolved remaster that was rumored back in June. Are they teasing it right in front of our eyes? Only time will tell. Regardless, it looks stunning, with mind-blowing environments that look closer to Blur Studios’ Halo 2: Anniversary cutscenes than any real-time gameplay seen before in the series.

As 343 Industries, the studio has developed three mainline Halo games since being founded in 2007: 4, 5: Guardians, and Infinite. Each title had positives and negatives, although it’s generally agreed that the series hasn’t quite reached the dizzying heights of its Bungie days. Can this rebrand and move to Unreal Engine 5 help secure a brighter future for Halo? I sure hope so.