220
rate

Halo: Reach Will Be Bungie's Last Halo Game, Moving On To New IPs

July 24, 2009 in News comments 28

Does this statement sound familiar? It should, considering this is also what Bungie said about Halo 3: ODST. However, this time Bungie claims to actually be done with the series as they have already started working on a new IP. But, if you're a fan of the Halo franchise, don't despair. The production of future Halo titles will be overseen by 343 Industries.

Halo: Reach will be Bungie's final Halo game, with the company moving on to new projects following completion of the title next year.

Halo: Combat Evolved marked the series' debut on the first Xbox back in 2001, and since then Bungie has gone on to create one of the definitive videogame franchises with the second and third instalments of the game. Halo 3: ODST is due this September, while Halo: Reach - which goes back to the origins of the Halo story - is expected next autumn.

"After Reach that's it for us," Bungie's Lars Bakken told IGN. "We're already working on a new IP that we can't talk about yet, I don't know when we'll be talking about it - when we're ready I suppose."

Bakken was cryptic as to the nature of Bungie's next game - though suggested that it may well step away from the first person mechanics that have defined the studio's output for the past decade; "If you look at Bungie's past we've done a lot of different styles - first person to third person to RTS - so it could be anything."

Future Halo games will be overseen by the recently revealed 343 Industries, which is headed up by former Bungie employee Frank O'Connor.
McClubbin via xbox360.ign.com »
Favourite this article Add source
| More
Report!
News story attached to:
Additional sources:

Comments

Register as a member to subscribe comments.
  • 2
    Spectre Jul 24, 09
    Microsoft have an entire division for Halo games now? The series is going to be milked dry...
  • 0
    Darknet Jul 24, 09
    About damn time. I've been wanting Bungie to do a new IP ever since Halo 3.
  • 3
    TurMoiL911 Jul 24, 09
    YES. THANK YOU SWEET JESUS YES.

    Maybe this will finally get people to shut the hell up about Halo. Yeah, it's a good game and all, but people are treating it like it's the best thing to happen to humanity since we discovered fire. Bungie has a lot of potential to make great new IP's, but they're been beating this Halo horse to death for years now.
    • 1
      Hideo1 Jul 24, 09
      Well, most people who do that are children of the interwebz, and look what they did with Chuck Norris

      I'm sure it won't be long until Gears or whatever they next create (not saying they create Gears, but if anything will take Halo's spot other then their next IP my money's on Gears) takes the podium of overlovedness.
      • 0
        dwg14390 Jul 24, 09
        Are you assuming that mere children and mortal children for that matter made Chuck Norris's popularity?

        No. Chuck Norris makes his own popularity and internet memes.

        And didn't bungie said halo 3 was there last halo game?
        • 0
          TurMoiL911 Jul 24, 09
          Bungie said that Halo 3 was their last game dealing with that trilogy and the last time you would play as Master Chief. They left them open to do other things in the Halo universe like ODST and Reach.

          I think Bungie should work on an actual Pimps at Sea game.
        • 0
          Shinobi_razor Jul 24, 09
          yeah i hope you dont play as MC in Reach. you should get to create and use your own Spartan for the campaign since there were a ton of nameless Spartans on Reach. perhaps you can use your Halo 3 multiplayer character in campaign.
        • 0
          TurMoiL911 Jul 25, 09
          Shinobi_razor, in the Halo canon, there weren't any Spartan-IIs on Reach when the Covenant attacked it.
        • 0
          Shinobi_razor Jul 26, 09
          yes there were. because lots of Spartans died on Reach. there were at least 23 known Spartans that died on Reach, during or around the time of the Covenant attack. some died in drop pods landing on reach (which is sad for a Spartan).

          they did all have Mk 4 armor (like in Halo Wars), not the Mk 5 armor from Halo 1. but they were still Spartan IIs. Mk 1-3 armor is Spartan I, and those were large walking machines like the Cyclops from Halo Wars.
      • 0
        TurMoiL911 Jul 27, 09
        Wait ... oh shit, no. I was thinking of Harvest.

        That is my bad.
  • 0
    Fury Jul 24, 09
    I have a feeling that Bungie's next series is going to be extremely similar to Halo anyways... If you look at their old games, they're all about aliens and crap. That's probably why Microsoft chose them to make Halo.
    • 2
      Red 9 Jul 24, 09
      I'm pretty sure Bungie themselves chose to make Halo...

      Anyway, I really think they ought to hold true to this. With Halo Reach, Halo Wars, and Halo ODST both already out and on the way, I think it's about time Halo was just left to lie. The only franchise that can survive that much milking is FF. And barely so.
      • 1
        McClubbin Jul 24, 09
        quote Red 9
        I'm pretty sure Bungie themselves chose to make Halo...
        Yeah, they were originally creating it for the Mac before being bought out by Microsoft. It feels weird how the series is actually ten years old (kind of).
      • 0
        Fury Jul 24, 09
        I don't think it was really considered Halo at the time though. I'm pretty sure Microsoft made the storyline and all that, otherwise they wouldn't be the ones who currently own the franchise. I'm guessing they just sort of shaped that game into Halo.
        • 0
          Slumpy monkey Jul 25, 09
          No its mostly all bungie. The story was all there before hand.

          You can sell IP's you know. Just like you can sell patents.
  • 0
    Dragoshi1 Jul 24, 09
    So....who is helming REACH?
    • 1
      Spectre Jul 24, 09
      Bungie..
      It says so in the title.
    • 0
      Red 9 Jul 24, 09
      quote Drago Shi
      So....who is helming REACH?
      Bungie's just saying they're going to finish up their Halo franchise with Reach and ODST and move on.
      • 0
        Dragoshi1 Jul 24, 09
        oooh, I keep hearing they are finished with ODST, but Reach comes out later. I thought 343 was gonna take it up or something.
        • 1
          Shinobi_razor Jul 24, 09
          343 is gonna be the ones developing any future Halo games after Reach comes out, not counting any new Halo Wars games which will be done by Robot Entertainment (the new Ensemble). thats an actual in house MS developer headed by former Bungie guy Frankie and since MS now owns the Halo IP, they can continue to make games without Bungie's say-so.
  • 1
    Bale Fire Jul 24, 09
    Frankly I doubt this. Even if they do move on, I expect Bungie will come back to the franchise sooner or later, gold glitters.
    • 1
      Seproth Jul 24, 09
      Only if they fail in other things.

      Look at Valve, sure they still have Half-Life, but they're far from milking it. They've released plenty since episode 2, many of which either had nothing to do with Half-Life or only vaguely within the universe.

      If Bungie's next project is good, people will buy the shit out of it too, and they won't miss Halo.
      • 1
        Bale Fire Jul 25, 09
        Even if their next title is just as good as Halo if not better it will never be more than a shadow to that franchise's success. Halo isn't so much about how good it is but the hype it gets, half the people who buy it are casual gamers and people who will simply see it and buy because of the name. A new IP will still get some people's heads turning, but never on the scale of the series which made them big.
  • 0
    Existence Jul 25, 09
    While Reach will be Bungie's last Halo game, I doubt it will be the last Halo game. I don't know who owns it or anything, but I don't think Microsoft will give up its flagship franchise just like that.

    ExEDIT: Shit, scratch that, I just noticed the last line.

    On another note, I wonder if the next IP from Bungie will be multiplat- they aren't owned by Microsoft now, are they?
    • 0
      Red 9 Jul 25, 09
      No, they seperated from Microsoft, but they made it abundantly clear that the 360 is their console of choice. So don't expect any PS3 games from 'em.
      • 0
        Slumpy monkey Jul 25, 09
        Yes, they are like insomniac. Independent, but they want to stay in their comfort zone. Which is perfectly acceptable.
        • 0
          Red 9 Jul 25, 09
          quote Slumpy monkey
          Yes, they are like insomniac. Independent, but they want to stay in their comfort zone. Which is perfectly acceptable.
          Besides, there's no point in trying to break into something that you have both no interest in nor experience with.
  • 0
    Star of Spurs* Jul 25, 09
    I think that 6 games is enough. I love the Halo franchise, played them all so far (with the exception of Halo Wars) and although it's nothing special, I always enjoyed it. But it has had it's day, and I hope ODST and Reach live up to expectations.

    Also, please say 343 don't milk this into the ground.

This news story is archived and is closed to comments now.