Is Halo moving to Unreal Engine 5? Possibilities explored

Official news from Xbox and Microsoft Studios indicates that Halo will move into Unreal Engine 5 for their future growth. Halo has been serving generations of gamers with the studio’s proprietary Slipspace Engine. However, now, the developers have taken a call to opt for Unreal Engine 5, hoping to enhance not only the gameplay experience but also the visual appeal of the title.

This article will provide players with a detailed brief on Halo's switch from their proprietary engine to the UE5. To know more, read below.

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Halo Studio Head confirms switch to Unreal Engine 5

On October 6, 2024, Halo Studio Head, Pierre Hintze, stated that the game will officially be switching from the studio’s proprietary Slipspace Engine to Unreal.

He defined this switch as a new chapter in the game's book and said it is aimed at changing and redefining the process of making the game, rather than increasing the efficiency of development.

In an exclusive interview with Xbox Wire, the Studio Head went on to state:

“If you really break Halo down, there have been two very distinct chapters. Chapter 1 – Bungie. Chapter 2 – 343 Industries. Now, I think we have an audience which is hungry for more. So we’re not just going to try improve the efficiency of development, but change the recipe of how we make Halo games. So, we start a new chapter today.”

The COO for Xbox Studios, Elizabeth van Wyck, also stated that the general goal of swapping out Engines was not only to focus on improving the development of Halo but also to provide the entire developmental team with a wider option of developing other games alongside the fan-favorite first-person shooter.

She explained:

“The way we made Halo games before doesn’t necessarily work as well for the way we want to make games for the future. So part of the conversation we had was about how we help the team focus on making games, versus making the tools and the engines.”

Excerpts from the statements of Studio Art Director Chris Matthews also indicate that Slipspace Engine is at least 25 years old, and it is simply unable to keep up with the times. The benefits and features that are provided by Unreal Engine 5 simply outshine the former, and to replicate these effects on Slipspace would require huge amounts of time and resources.

We believe this is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for Halo Studios, and gamers can expect much better developmental prospects from their favorite FPS title.

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