Halo

Ahead of the final match at today’s 2024 Halo World Championship, we saw an unexpected video. It depicted landscapes you might expect from the Halo series – Forerunner architecture jutting from dramatic landscapes inspired by the Pacific Northwest, gorgeous fields of ice, even a vista blighted and consumed by The Flood. We of course saw glimpses of the Master Chief, and his iconic enemies, even a Banshee arcing past the camera. But what we saw wasn’t a look back – this was something entirely new.
We’re entering a new dawn for Halo. Those new visuals were created using Unreal Engine 5 – and we learned that all future Halo projects will use the engine, and that multiple new games using it are in development. Alongside the engine change, the studio is seeing changes in culture, workflow, and how its teams are organized. To match that new approach, franchise stewards 343 Industries are changing their name – Halo Studios is here.
Studio Head Pierre ..

Halo: Combat Evolved came out over two decades ago, but speedrunning events for the classic shooter are about to change forever thanks to newly-discovered glitches that let you play as the Flood (Halo’s version of a zombie-parasite-headcrab thing.)
Former Microsoft software engineer and Halo speedrunner who goes by Mr Monopoli has recently discovered a series of glitches that open up brand new routes in Combat Evolved. Some of this stuff, like flying the Pelican, was previously possible with mods, but Mr Monopoli has become the first person in the world to discover how to unlock these tricks without modding the game.
“Using new glitches, I’ve discovered a way to possess a flood infection form in Halo 1 without mods,” the speedrunner tweeted earlier this week, alongside a video of the little face-hugger bobbing about. “You can fully control it and even climb 90+ degree walls and even ceilings!” That added verticality is what I imagine will make certain levels beatable within minutes, a..