Summary
Halo, a much-beloved and iconic Xbox franchise, has found itself in choppy waters these past few years, and it might be time to rethink for Microsoft and 343 Industries to rethink their strategy with the IP. It may be worth taking a look at theone-off hitFallout: New Vegasfor inspiration as, despite being developed under different circumstances, it takes an approach that could be applied to theHaloseries.
Bungie delivered a revolutionary experience withHalo: Combat Evolvedin 2001. TheHaloname soon became synonymous with Xbox, as Bungie would go on to release success after success, improving upon the foundations laid byCombat EvolvedwithHalo 2,Halo 3,Halo 3: ODST, andHalo: Reach.
Shortly afterReachwas released, however, Bungie would leave the franchise behind, and Microsoft passedHalooff to 343 Industries, an in-house studio built specifically to produceHalogames. Sadly, 343 Industries hasn’t managed to recapture the success of the earlier games in the series, and there’s a general sense thatHalois hanging onto the past, not able to replicate the original games, while simultaneously failing to create something truly original.
The Future of Halo: Taking a Page Out of Fallout: New Vegas' Handbook
ThoughFalloutwas riding high after the success ofFallout 3, Bethesda chose to hand the reins to Obsidian Entertainment for a spin-off title. That spin-off game, released in 2010, wasFallout: New Vegas, a game that has gone on to be widely considered one of the best in the series, with many considering it to be one of the greatest Western RPGs ever made. The success of the game was not simply due to its unique setting or surface-level features, however; a key part ofNew Vegas' quality is the very fact that a new studio took control andHalocould benefit from a similar approach.
Halo Needs a New Studio Behind the Wheel
Halo Infinitehas caught a lot of flak, but the series' problems arguably began right after 343 started working on it. There are many possible reasons behind this, but a commonly accepted narrative is that Bungie had a strong, contained vision for whatHalowas “supposed” to be, and 343 attempted to resurrect that vision.
Of course, being a completely different team, 343 struggled to recreate the nuance and design philosophies that made the originalHalogames so revered. At the same time, 343 Industries, as a unit, had never shipped a game beforeHalo 4, so it didn’t get a chance to develop a creative voice outside the franchise.
Fans can debate about which specific design or narrative decisions could helpHalothe most, but the strong vision that Bungie had for the series is the key component that has been missing. If Microsoft shifted development of thenextHalocampaign away from 343, giving it to another, already-established studio, new life could be breathed into the franchise. This would mirror what happened withNew Vegas, as Obsidian Entertainment brought new, fresh creative minds to the project, allowing for stories, RPG systems, and gameplay features that would not have existed, at least not in the same way, if it was developed by Bethesda Game Studios.
Microsoft-Owned Developers That Could Be a Good Fit for Halo
Microsoft has ownership of several studios, especially following the purchase of Activision Blizzard, that could produce high-qualityHalogames. Developers like id Software could bring the hard-hitting combat of theDoomgames into the mix, while a studio like Arkane or Tango Gameworks could shake the series up dramatically from a tonal and structural standpoint. Ultimately, a new studio could reviseHaloin a way that is sorely needed, and343 Industries could shift to a new project—perhaps alongsideInfinite’s live-service maintenance—allowing its developers to flex their creative muscles on something other thanHalo.
