Microsoft to revive dead Halo MMO with 300,000 players at E3 2009?
Microsoft discretely put up a job posting looking for a server developer with strong experience to work on creating an infrastructure capable of handling 300,000 players online. The project reeks of the canned Halo MMO project Ensemble was working on before getting the axe.
News spread across the Web after developmag revealed that Microsoft was building something that would require 300,000 players, which is ridiculously massive. What type of game or software would require that many players synced up together?
If you recall last year Ensemble Studios revealed that the studio was working on a massive Halo based MMO game. However, the studio shortly after revealed that the game along with the studio would be axed. Considering the fact that Microsoft is not a company to let things go to waste, it seems likely that the Halo MMO dream could still be alive.
The company put together a crack team of developers after Bungie left Microsoft to carry on the Halo franchise. This could be the project they are currently working on. This goes back to the story on Kotaku, where they found a job posting last month on CareerBuilder of all places, looking for an engineer to build a Halo universe wide project. The Halo project would be a world connected by cell phones, computers and Xbox 360.
The project is looking like it will be a massive MMO like Halo game or interactive world experience. It looks like Microsoft is ramping up resources to build this massive behemoth out as these two job postings prove that something is amidst at Microsoft. Let’s hope that the company will shed some light on this surprising project at E3. This project could be the big announcement Steve Ballmer was hyping or I suppose it could still be the fantastic motion fangle device.
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36 Responses to “Microsoft to revive dead Halo MMO with 300,000 players at E3 2009?”
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May 29th, 2009
With Sony working on The Agency, DC Online, and Free Realms, and the PS3 exclusive MMO Uncharted Waters Online (KOEI)… it would make sense that the 360 would have something to try and compete.
Still out of all of these, the rumored new square enix one is the one I’m most interested in.
Side Note: What ever happened to Huxley? I haven’t heard anything about that in ages now. Canceled?
May 29th, 2009
“What type of game or software would require that many players synced up together?”
Something similar to Free Realms (sci-fi or fantasy based) would be my bet.
May 29th, 2009
Barnabe, we probably won’t know until either after the show or until the product is near finished whether it is still coming to 360 or not. Right now it is set for PC. NHN says it is up to Webzen. If Webzen can’t commit, I imagine Microsoft wants to see how it turns out (or at least get a good idea if it is quality) before committing it to 360.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/14/joystiq-interview-huxley-project-manager-andy-hong/
May 29th, 2009
Barnabe, we probably won’t know until either after the show or until the product is near finished whether it is still coming to 360 or not. Right now it is set for PC. NHN says it is up to Webzen. If Webzen can’t commit, I imagine Microsoft wants to see how it turns out (or at least get a good idea if it is quality) before committing it to 360.
joystiq.com/2009/05/14/joystiq-interview-huxley-project-manager-andy-hong/
May 29th, 2009
Meh, I hope huxley is good. I have the feeling its just going to play like Gunz where you jsut play dm over and over and over to buy new weapons. Snore.
May 29th, 2009
I’m a huge Superman fan so I prefer DC MMO over Halo but I think a Halo MMO is a great idea and MS would make a killing from it.
But I think it would attract more then 300,000 players.
If it is out on PC I may try it.
May 29th, 2009
this could be good, hope its free though
But Microsoft cancelled Marvel Universe Online, because the 360 could not support MMOs. so this got me thinking if the HALO MMO for 360 or the 720 ?
May 29th, 2009
Carl, Thanks for the link. I couldn’t find anything.
I do like MMORPGs, but I refuse to pay a monthly fee.
May 29th, 2009
“I do like MMORPGs, but I refuse to pay a monthly fee.”
Same here. specially for X360 when u have to $50 for XBL and then u have to also pay monthly fee for MMOs
May 29th, 2009
Well no one said anything about a Fee so who is to really say they will charge extra for a MMO. They already have MMO on the 360 and they are not charging extra for that. Phantasy Star Universe, Test Drive Unlimited, Final Fantasy, And there is one more.
May 29th, 2009
CAD-
wrong…you have to pay extra to play Final Fantasy XI on the 360. all the others games u mentioned are not True MMOs those are just online multiplayer games.
May 29th, 2009
If you’re playing a MMO you really should expect to pay for it. Hosting survers isn’t free.
May 29th, 2009
@me_ – that’s true, but with games like MAG and The Agency (maybe) being confirmed as free, it’s going to be a hard sell to console owners.
May 29th, 2009
With all due respect MAG and The Agency are probably not going to get the number of users a Halo game will get.
If the Halo MMO is good and does attract a large following M$ would be mad to be saddled with the cost of hosting it.
May 29th, 2009
all the others games u mentioned are not True MMOs those are just online multiplayer games.
Maybe I’m confused but what is a MMO then? In Phantasy Star are you not in the world with everyone else who is playing. I have not really given this game a try but I did pay Test Drive and in that game everyone who is online is on the island together driving around. In fact Fable 2 you can run into everyone playing that game to. Is this not the meaning of Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO).
May 29th, 2009
According to Wikipedia
A massively multiplayer online game (also called MMOG or simply MMO) is a video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on personal computers. Most of the newer game consoles, including the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Wii can access the Internet and may therefore run MMO games.
MMOGs can enable players to cooperate and compete with each other on a large scale, and sometimes to interact meaningfully with people around the world. They include a variety of gameplay types, representing many video game genres.
May 29th, 2009
So how are the games I mentioned not MMO’s?
May 29th, 2009
CAD
So how are the games I mentioned not MMO’s?
im not sure, but those games are not categorized as MMOs, dont know why though..mayb it has to with the number of player game supports. MAG “is not” an MMO, but the Agency is and they are both shooter. so i dont really have the answer for you question.
May 29th, 2009
CAD
The games you mentioned are simply, games you can play online.
Multiplayer Online if you will. They are missing the “Massive” part.
You were wrong about Final Fantasy. There IS a subscription fee. I believe last time i played that it was like $12 a month.
MMOs are MASSIVE online gaming worlds. Test Drive, Fable, are Multiplayer Online Games. Most Massive Multiplayer Online games let you setup groups and partys of minium 25-40 players…..in a persistant, ever changing online world ( patches, expansions, as such)…
Fable, Test Drive are just mini-versions….
May 29th, 2009
“Persistent” is the key word, here. MAG does not have a persistent world. It had maps that reset at the end of battle just like any other online shooter. the Agency DOES have a persistent world, not to mention (theoretically) thousands and thousands of players all playing in that world simultaneously. hence, “massively” multiplayer.
-Arvis
May 29th, 2009
I was totally going to wade in here using the word ‘persistent’…
Anywhoos, they should make this damn game. I don’t wanna play it, and it could stink, but it would take a huge amount of money in purchases and subs for like 3-6 months. They if interest dwindles, do what all good mmo’s do!
Server merge!
Then close 3 months later…
May 29th, 2009
Where’s the Sky TV coming to Xbox XBL story then Mike?
May 29th, 2009
Halo Again wow WTF Microsoft get a new fucking IP damn it let it go already well for a little while at least fuck. Microsoft needs to do something better then Halo where’s the talent look at Sony they have every genre cover with awesome games. Halo MMO is Microsoft trying to rip people off.
May 29th, 2009
Barnabe,
“specially for X360 when u have to $50 for XBL and then u have to also pay monthly fee for MMOs”
No. At least for Final Fantasy you do not have to pay for XBL Gold (free silver works fine) to play. Just the subscription fee through Play Online, which is the same for PC.
May 30th, 2009
Carl, Wait huh? That was Roca lol.
SW, Yeah, I notice that MMOs are constantly closing. Just today the Matrix came to an end for example. I guess they still turn a profit though. .
May 30th, 2009
Carl, btw That’s pretty cool that they let the Silver members play, but they should abolish the monthly fee altogether if you pay for gold. Whoever pays two separate monthly fee’s just to be able to play a game online… is retarded.
(lol see how I got dragged into this)
May 30th, 2009
Sorry about that Barnabe.
As for your point, I think if Microsoft was the one that made the game and had the servers to run for it you may have a point, but this isn’t the case with Final Fantasy XI. It would make gold more attractive though. Right now the only reason I really have gold is because of Netflix HD streaming, which is actually in addition to, and saving me money over, my old Netflix dvd only subscription.
May 30th, 2009
Personally to pay for Gold to play online is one thing then to pay an extra fee to play a MMO, That I’m not doing. I’m quite happy with my multiplayer games and DLC.
May 30th, 2009
“im not sure, but those games are not categorized as MMOs”
Roca
Actually they are look it up. Not sure About Fabel 2 thought but it fits the description perfectly.
May 30th, 2009
My point about MAG was… Yeah it’s not an MMO, but the game will be using dedicated servers and is not charging a fee.
Paying for a Gold membership is one thing, but paying a monthly fee just to play a single game seems like a waste to me. That’s my complaint about MMO’s in general. Also when you cancel the service for a few months, you loose your character and all of the work you put in. They don’t make it easy to play for a few months, cancel for a few, and then come back at a later point.
May 30th, 2009
Barnabe, did you play World of Warcraft?
May 30th, 2009
Sony are gonna have to start charging something soon…how are they making money?
I can’t imagine that their much criticised $0.16 per GB is raking in too much.
Maybe that’s why they’re going to move in to PSP rentals to make some money that way.
May 30th, 2009
For RE5 demos alone it would have been about $300,000 plus alone by now (2 million downloads).
May 31st, 2009
I’d image that RE5 is the exception, not the rule.
June 1st, 2009
12 or more similar triple AAA releases throughout the year would add up.
June 1st, 2009
I also heard home today is doing quite well through advertising revenue.