Earlier this week, 343 Industries — named after the Halo series’ 343 Guilty Spark character — made two significant announcements. Firstly, a marketing and cultural announcement revealed that the studio was rebranding to Halo Studios to better encompass the expanding portfolio of Halo products they are actively developing. This name change signifies a closer alignment with the series, honoring its past and envisioning its future. The second announcement focused on a shift in technology, as 343 Industries decided to transition from using the Slipstream engine created for Halo Infinite in 2021 to adopting Unreal Engine for future Halo projects.
This decision carries various implications for the series. While 343 Industries may not delve into a detailed technical discussion in the media about this engine change to avoid diminishing their work on Slipstream, it raises questions about the rationale behind the switch. Gamesbeat reached out to multiple developers to explore why the industry is leaning towards embracing Unreal Engine, signaling a move towards a more engine-agnostic future.
Previously, developers, especially larger publishers, favored using their proprietary in-house engines to power their games. This practice was appealing for internal development and potentially attracting revenue from licensing the engine to other developers. However, the trend has shifted, with only a few major publishers like Electronic Arts, Rockstar, and Capcom maintaining their in-house engines. Even studios at Nintendo and Square Enix have embraced external engines like Unity and Unreal.
One compelling reason for developers to favor Unreal Engine is its ease of adoption, allowing new team members to acclimate swiftly. Game development courses across North America extensively cover Unreal Engine, and aspiring game developers often begin their journey by learning it. The widespread use of Unreal Engine enables new developers to seamlessly integrate into the team without extensive training on an in-house engine.
Furthermore, this efficiency cascades upwards, sparing senior roles from investing time in familiarizing new developers with the intricacies of the current engine being used.
Changing engines is essential as technology evolves over time. Slipstream, partly rooted in Halo’s Blam! engine from 1997, may encounter limitations as modern technology and game design progress. Unresolved issues or outdated features in the engine can impede development. By transitioning to Unreal Engine, developers can leverage a well-documented third-party engine from a company dedicated to keeping their clients satisfied, reducing concerns among the team and allowing them to focus on game development.
Regardless of the outlook for future Halo projects, the switch to Unreal Engine appears to be a strategic move. It could also serve as a valuable example for other developers evaluating their current engines for potential upgrades.
