Kotaku: halo: chronicles

At Least Four Halo "Things" In The Works At Microsoft Game Studios

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:40:18 MDT

Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Game Studios, tells GamesIndustry.biz that, in light of the massive success of the Halo franchise, Microsoft has decided not to completely scrap all development on the series. Instead, they're going to make more games set in the Halo universe. It's a plan that sounds just crazy enough to work.

Spencer says that the publisher has "more than two or three teams building Halo things right now." Some quick calculations lead us to believe that is four or more. We know that two of those are likely Ensemble Studios' Halo Wars and the Peter Jackson-led project currently known as Halo: Chronicles, but what about the other two "things"?

One of those things could very well be Bungie's next project, something which may not be owned outright by Microsoft. ("Some of them we will own, some of them we won't," Spencer notes.) Whatever Bungie has planned next may be revealed within the next few weeks.

The other? It may be Halo 4. It may not necessarily be a proper game at all, as Spencer says that "we have future plans to support ["scalable ventures"] which are unannounced, but we're going to do something with Halo," seemingly in the vein of new maps and software updates.

We hope that, whatever, the fourth Halo-branded thing that MGS has planned, it features space, marines and guns. We're aiming low.

Phil Spencer - Part One [GamesIndustry.biz]

New Halo Helmed By MGS4 Producer

Brian Crecente — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:04:41 MDT

Rumor has it that Ryan Payton, late of Kojima Productions, has landed a pretty impressive job here in the states.

Our very reliable sources tell us that Payton has been hired by Microsoft to be the creative director on the upcoming, and still not dead, Peter Jackson Halo game.

The news, very reliable news, comes weeks after we broke the news that Gearbox Director of Technology Corrinne Yu had been hired by Microsoft Game Studios to be Principle Engine Architect for Microsoft's Halo Franchise Team.

Rumor had it at the time that Yu and her husband, Kenneth Scott were both joining Microsoft Game Studios. Scott is an art director at id Software.

Payton, assistant producer on Metal Gear Solid 4, has been credited with spearheading a more Western approach to controls for Metal Gear Solid 4, making the game far more approachable and much tighter than the previous installment. He also helped warm the MGS4 team up to more Western developed games like Gears of War as well.

We heard back from Microsoft and they hit us up with "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.” Which in Microsoft speak is almost tantamount to a confirmation.

[Pic]

Microsoft Staffing Up For Peter Jackson's Halo: Chronicles?

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:40:14 MDT

At least one of the Halo-themed projects helmed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is closer to reality, as MTV Multiplayer has dug up job listings that hint heavily Microsoft is hiring for one of its "two new interactive entertainment experiences." A confirmation from the company reveals that it's going to be developed internally and not at Halo 3 developer Bungie.

The job listings, all of which are linked to at the MTV Multiplayer report, are light on concrete details. They look to be intentionally vague, deemed "Not Product Specific" and only mentioning that they take place in the Halo universe. See if you can decipher them with your Master Chief decoder rings!

Is Microsoft Hiring A 'Halo' Team For Peter Jackson This Week? [MTV Multiplayer]