Gearbox working on Halo 4 as launch title for next generation Xbox?
The Halo series of games has been a staple for Microsoft and the Xbox. While Bungie has been the company responsible for the three games so far released in the series, it could be that the reins have now been handed over to Gearbox for Halo 4. And what’s more, the release of that game could be on a console other than the Xbox 360.
Rumours are rife in the games industry right now. Be it over price cuts coming to the Xbox 360 along with a motion-sensing controller, whether Nintendo is already working on its next home console, and if it’s true that Shigeru Miyamoto wears women’s clothing. Okay, I made that last one up, but it’ll probably do the rounds now anyway.
The latest rumour to hit the Internet today is over the future of the massively successful Halo franchise.
The developer of the existing three Halo games, Bungie, is now an independent company, separate from Microsoft Game Studios, and able to make games for other platforms besides the Xbox 360. Although it’s highly unlikely it would do so. Microsoft still holds equity in the company, and more importantly for all you Halo fans, retains ownership of the Halo brand.
Since Halo 3 was released, there has been little in the way of news concerning an upcoming Halo 4. But it seems that we may have been looking in the wrong place waiting for Bungie to make some sort of official announcement about a fourth game in the series.
Back in February, the boss of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford, announced that his company were working on something big, writing the following on Gearbox’s official forums:
It’s big. It’s, like, look-at-our-line-up-and-imagine-something-even-bigger kind of big. I’m directing it myself. I can’t mention it publicly yet. When you find out what this is, you’ll likely agree that I can’t oversell this one.
According to Joystiq, the boys at the Official Xbox Magazine have been doing a bit of digging since the start of the year, and have now come out and stated that the game Gearbox is working on is Halo 4. Not only that, but the game, which is supposedly going to be in development for at least two years, is being lined up as a possible launch title for the next generation Xbox.
This is of course merely a rumour at this point, but it would seem to have some legs when looked at with unbiased eyes. Bungie has stated that it is about more than just Halo, and doesn’t want to just develop more and more Halo games from now until the end of time. But with Microsoft retaining the rights to the Halo brand, another company could step in and start making more Halo games instead.
Gearbox would be a good choice for Microsoft, with its track record of developing solid first-person shooters and expansion packs. Gearbox were also the company Microsoft chose to port Halo: Combat Evolved from the Xbox to the PC. So it certainly isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
If true, this has big implications. Not only will Halo now be developed by a company other than Bungie, but it means that Microsoft is already gearing up for its next generation of hardware. With 2010 cited as the first possible opportunity for new hardware to be launched, it could be that we’ll see Halo 4 and the Xbox 720 both making their débuts in just two years time.
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31 Responses to “Gearbox working on Halo 4 as launch title for next generation Xbox?”
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August 26th, 2008
Wouldn’t surprise me. This would be the simplest way for MS to ensure massive sales of any new console.
-Arvis
August 26th, 2008
please God… please FOR GOODNESS’S SAKE!!
MORE SINGLE PLAYER!!!!
BETTER SINGLE PLAYER!!!
something… online is done… nothing new… I WANT SOME GODDAM SINGLE PLAYER!!!
August 26th, 2008
Wow Microsoft needs a new IP Halo 4 is still way off maybe is comes out in 2011.
August 26th, 2008
I have never once understood the popularity of halo.
Please please don’t let that continue into the next generation
At the very least gearbox, make it WORTHY of the praise it receives….
August 26th, 2008
@SW
To alot of people, Halo is worthy of the praise it recieves, so please please don’t present opinions in such absolutes.
@Ivan
My god, we actually agree on something, save games like Fable, Gears of War and a few others, Microsoft does need a new ip that pushes hardware.
August 26th, 2008
I liked Halo, so did millions of others.
August 26th, 2008
i hated halo….except for the first one….it rocked….but not much of a fan of 2 and 3……it would be cool to have halo on ps3, bc that way xbox fanboys cant say “ps3 sucks, xbox is better bc we have halo”…if ps3 had halo, there would be peace….or atleast a little more of peace
August 26th, 2008
matt:
PLAYSTATION 3 owners don’t need Halo we got Resistance Killzone God of War Gran Turismo SOCOM Heavenly Sword MotorStorm Uncharted Ratchet & Clank Warhawk and many more that can compete with Halo, that game is so played out. The only good Halo was number 2.
August 26th, 2008
Ivan, did you get that pic of my balls I sent you?
August 26th, 2008
“Resistance Killzone God of War Gran Turismo SOCOM Heavenly Sword MotorStorm Uncharted Ratchet & Clank Warhawkâ€
Halo 3 has probably sold more than all of these combined.
August 26th, 2008
So, it seems as if we need a standardized disclaimer here, because everyone thinks everyone else is doing some cock waving or something…
Disclaimer :: My post in purely my own fucking OPINION. AND! On top of that I do NOT think my cock is any bigger than yours (if applicable), or that the console I am playing at the moment is superior to yours.
In short, I WAS posting opinion. I even acknowledged that is was a big game by mentioning its popularity, so lets not accuse me of doing something i was not.
Have yourself a nice night
August 26th, 2008
Ok, the last line was a smidge ‘absolute’.
You’ll have to excuse me, I just did a verrrrrrrrrrrrry long day.
Either way, born and raised on PC first person shooters. In my eyes there is NOTHING any any console that compares to some of the greats in PC history.
August 26th, 2008
winner:
I don’t use my Xbox 360 to play online games i already got a PS3 for that. Xbox Live is full of cheaters and lagers.
August 27th, 2008
Lagers?
Full of beers?
Interesting, no wonder Live has so many subscribers!!!!!!!
Damn you sneaky Microsoft!
August 27th, 2008
Xbox Live is a lagging mess and trust me if you have a hacked Xbox 360 you can cheat i have 1. Xbox Live had no real competitor until PS3 came out. Sony has over PSN subscriber already enjoyting free service that’s out performs Microsoft pay service.
August 27th, 2008
Why haven’t I come across any lagers on Live??
August 27th, 2008
winner:
Maybe because you don’t have Xbox 360… or maybe because you don’t have Xbox Live at all Also you be a Xbox 360 fanboy there’s so many reasons why i know you lying to yourself.
I haven’t lag on PS2 or PS3 on Sony’s servers that is.
August 27th, 2008
Get to the point Ivan.
Where do we get the beer????????
August 27th, 2008
LOL how would he know. He is only 11 years old.
August 27th, 2008
LOL how would he know? He is only 11 years old.
August 27th, 2008
I can’t think of an FPS that had me more bored than Halo. The only reason I played Halo 3 was so I could teamkill my roommate. It was a lot more fun killing him than the rather boring and repetitive enemies found throughout the Halo world. Boring!
Did I mention I was bored? Just making sure.
August 27th, 2008
So where do I find my lager-tube?
Is it still in the 360 box?
Surely MS provides me a way to get my lager(s)?
Is this a new cooling stategy to prevent RROD? Lager cooling? (I own a 360 so don’t even bother jumping down my throat for the rrod comment!)
August 27th, 2008
Man….. I feel like a lager right now, and it’s only 9am. Ivan?
August 27th, 2008
Spidey, I have about 5 gig left of data that I can download before Bigpond slows me down, it has to last me till mid next month, which means I could probably download one more demo. Is it worth it?
Oh and I brew my own, so the cheap piss is on me!
August 28th, 2008
I have 500 Gig on my PS3 hard drive.
August 28th, 2008
I posted that using his name he doesn’t have a PS3 with 500 gigs i do 2 of them.
August 28th, 2008
Alright, all of you who were making the “lager” jokes at Ivan’s expense, you’re going to get me in trouble at work. I’ve never had to so desperately stifle my laughter.
Good night…. best typo humor EVER!
-Arvis
P.S. Halo 3 is not worthy of the praise it received. Oooh, now people will yell at me…
August 28th, 2008
I got the force unleashed demo for PS3.
I give the middle finger salute to Microsoft and thier ‘you have to wait because you don’t give us money for Live, thank you!!!!!’ bullshit.
So I just went and got it off PSN.
August 28th, 2008
Why would you do that Ivan?
August 29th, 2008
‘i do 2 of them’
The child makes love with his ps3(s) now too…
At least you’re too young to risk getting spooge in the machine.
September 7th, 2008
the lager-beer joke isnt even funny. damn. lame