If you're waking up to a cup of coffee and the internet's overall reaction to Microsoft's E3 keynote announcements, you're probably filled with mixed emotions. There were a lot of praises for the company's move to purchase several studios for first-party game development while others rolled their eyes at the announcement of seemingly iterative rehashings of legacy intellectual properties (IP) for the Xbox. One of those potential eye roll moments for some came during the announcement of Halo Infinite. The sixth installment in the Halo franchise (excluding tangential properties) was announced yesterday evening and to many, the reveal was rather lackluster, but for Microsoft, this latest addition to the iconic gaming universe is more of a first than an also-ran development story. How many times does Master Chief have to save humanity? And at what we point do we wonder if this isn't all his fault? — Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) June 10, 2018 For the first time in a long time, Halo is getting an under the hood upgrade to go along with its visual and thematic evolution. 343 Industries, the makers behind Halo 5: Guardians, are using what they call the Slipspace Engine for the development of Halo Infinite. While there wasn't much to show at the E3 from 343's latest efforts, a demo of in-engine footage was released to highlight a modernized art style as well as ambitious performance boosts. There are few details about the new engine coming from 343 industries, but the studio is in early talks about offering early flighting programs that will let members of the Halo community play the game while it's in development. The upside to participating in the early flights come in the form of feedback, helping to shape the new Halo game and potentially the direction the series heads in, while also getting a sneak peek at the development process of one the most iconic gaming studios to-date. In the future, you will be able to join early flighting programs that will let members of the community play the game with us, and give direct feedback, much like the current Insider flighting program for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It will take some time for us to be ready to kick those flighting events off, but when we do they will start small and grow along the way. For those interested, 343's studio head, Chris Lee, is open to feedback via his Twitter handle, @tefferlee. Reaching out to Lee via Twitter appears to be one of the best ways to volunteer to be a part of the early flighting program until the studio establishes a more formal venue. When reaching out to him, we remind our readers to please be respectful of his efforts and time. Share This Post:<doc-sep>There were some rumblings that Microsoft might announce a new Halo title at this year’s E3 — and really, what would an Xbox event be without some nod to the perennial favorite sci-fi first-person shooter series? The company didn’t mess around this time. Before Xbox head Phil Spencer even took the stage, the company offered up a brief teaser for the upcoming title. The trailer offered very little in the way of actual information about the game, showcasing a band of soldiers wandering through a field, followed by a quick reveal of Master Chief’s helmet. The Master Chief returns in #HaloInfinite. Get your first look at the legendary hero in a thrilling new Slipspace Engine demo that provides a glimpse into the future of the franchise. #XboxE3 https://t.co/vJNXPgAJZb pic.twitter.com/G76rTX7kAY — Halo (@Halo) June 10, 2018 Spencer took to the stage to confirm that the iconic character will return for the title, for his “greatest adventure to save humanity.” Halo Infinite is built on top of the Slipspace Engine and is being positioned as “the next chapter in the legendary franchise,” which could imply that it’s a direct sequel to 2015’s lukewarmly received Halo 5: Guardians. We’ll update as we get more information.<doc-sep>
Halo Infinite was announced at the Microsoft conference at E3 2018. While we learned almost nothing about the game and how it’ll play, it appears we finally have details on the platforms it’ll appear on. As expected, Halo Infinite will come to Xbox One, but it’ll also be released on Windows PC, according to the game’s YouTube description, which refers to it as an “Xbox One and Windows 10 Exclusive.” The trailer, and its description, mention a new engine — dubbed the Slipspace Engine — and call the trailer itself a “thrilling engine demo that provides a glimpse into the future of the Halo franchise, leading it into new and unexpected directions.” One of those directions is apparently a Windows release, something that has eluded the mainline Halo series with the exception of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, whose PC releases trailed their console launches by two and three years, respectively. While this is a change for the Halo franchise, it’s in keeping with Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s 2015 plans to erode the distinction between Microsoft’s Xbox and Windows platforms. Halo Infinite is the follow up to Halo 5: Guardians. The cinematic trailer shows off Master Chief and some marines roaming around a new Halo. It appears that Cortana is also back in the hands of Chief. The nature surrounding our gun-toting heroes and their AI ally will finally be able to look its best on Windows PC systems. We know almost nothing else about Halo Infinite. It’s also unclear if the Halo: Master Chief Collection will come to PC to help catch mouse and keyboard players up on the saga.