Halo Studios has committed to using Unreal Engine 5 for future Halo projects. The shift is a change in how the studio plans to build the series, not proof that games will arrive faster or be better. Its first public look at the approach, Project Foundry, was research and training work—not a game—and its workflows later informed the announced Halo: Campaign Evolved.
Why is Halo switching to Unreal Engine 5?
Halo Studios announced the move in October 2024, alongside its change of name from 343 Industries. The studio said future Halo projects would use Unreal Engine 5 and that multiple projects were in development. Its current official page continues to describe Unreal as part of its approach to building Halo’s future.
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The studio’s stated reason is to focus more of its effort on making games rather than developing and maintaining proprietary tools and an engine. In an Xbox Wire interview, COO Elizabeth van Wyck said the old way of making Halo did not necessarily fit the studio’s plans for future games, and that the team wanted to focus on game development instead of tools and engines.
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Studio leaders also cited Unreal’s broad use in the industry, its built-in technologies, and the familiarity it may offer when hiring developers. Those are the studio’s reasons for the decision, not independently measured evidence that development will become more productive. The studio described the transition as a new chapter for Halo’s production, rather than simply a technology upgrade.
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What is Project Foundry?
Project Foundry was Halo Studios’ multidisciplinary research into what it takes to build Halo in Unreal, as well as a training tool for the studio’s development process. The studio explicitly described it as neither a game nor a conventional tech demo.
Foundry presented three environments: a Pacific Northwest-inspired setting, the frozen Coldlands, and the Flood-consumed Blightlands. They showed how the team was exploring Halo’s visual identity and development workflows in Unreal. They were not a promise that every depicted environment, scene, or feature would appear in a released game.
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In the 2024 Xbox Wire interview, art director Chris Matthews said the work was made with the rigor and fidelity of shipped-game development, and that a good portion of its content could carry into future games if the studio chose. Studio head Pierre Hintze said the intent was for the majority of what Foundry showed to be expected in projects then in development or future projects. These comments describe the team’s expectations at the time; they are not a final feature list.
How Foundry informed Halo: Campaign Evolved
A later official studio interview connects Foundry’s work to Halo: Campaign Evolved. Matthews said Foundry let the team test workflows in a real development environment and set a target for variety, richness, and visual ambition. He also said the environment work informed levels including “Halo” and “Assault on the Control Room,” as well as broader Flood implementation.
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The project’s art directors described Unreal as helping artists iterate and bringing concept art closer to in-game implementation. They cited Nanite, Niagara, Lumen, and Mega Lights among the technologies used on Campaign Evolved. Those are developer accounts of how the tools supported this project, not a universal performance claim about Unreal or a guarantee of a particular result in every Halo game.
What changes—and what remains a goal?
Using Unreal changes the studio’s development foundation: instead of maintaining a proprietary engine, Halo teams can build on an established engine and its existing toolset. Halo Studios says this should help teams focus on making games, support multiple teams and projects, and make use of Unreal’s built-in technologies.
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The studio has also stressed that Halo’s identity is not just a matter of visual detail. Its stated priorities include preserving the series’ combat feel, lore, physics, movement, and weapon authenticity while changing production workflows. These are commitments and intentions from the developers; public statements do not establish how successfully each future release will meet them.
- What the switch establishes: Unreal Engine 5 is the announced technology for future Halo development.
- What it does not establish: a faster release schedule, improved game quality, or specific features across all future projects.
- What to watch for: how released games balance the studio’s production goals with the recognizable feel and world of Halo.
Which Halo project is confirmed?
Halo Studios’ official page identifies Halo: Campaign Evolved as its next currently announced project. The studio describes it as a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, with rebuilt visuals, refined gameplay, three new missions, additional weapons and vehicles, and cooperative play.
The studio says multiple projects are in development, but the public page does not identify the other projects or disclose their status. Campaign Evolved is therefore the named example of the new approach—not a complete picture of what else Halo Studios is making.
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