A month ago Microsoft posted a job listing for a technical artist to work on a new Halo project and now another 15 job listings have appeared on the 343 Industries page for the next Halo venture. The jobs range from Missions Designer and Senior Animator to Multiplayer Designer. Microsoft recently asked fans of Halo to trust them with the future of the franchise now that Bungie has moved on and 343 Industries are the studio that have been handed this mammoth task.
Along with the job listings there is also a brief mission statement by the company stating that:
“343 Industries is forging the future of Halo, expanding and building upon one of the most important and successful franchises in gaming history. Halo is a rich and exciting universe that encompasses AAA video games, New York Times best-selling novels, world-class animation and much, much more. Just you wait. 343 is set to revolutionize gaming and entertainment by putting the industry’s fiercest talent in one room and diving for cover. Come be part of the awesome.”
Some rather bold statements but I suppose it would need to be considering how much the Halo franchise means to XBOX owners and Microsoft themselves. It is rumoured the game the job listings refer to is a Halo 1 remake, however nothing has been confirmed or denied as of yet by Microsoft.
Can Halo really carry on without Bungie driving the franchise forward or is this a chance for Microsoft to breathe fresh air and a new experience into their key IP? Let us know what you think in the comments.
