Posts Tagged: ‘Halo
Halo veteran Joseph Staten is making a AAA game for Netflix
Former Halo scribe Joseph Staten has joined Netflix’s burgeoning gaming division. On Monday, Staten tweeted that he will serve as the creative director on a new AAA game and original intellectual property from the streaming giant. “In my work life, there’s nothing I love more than collaborating with others to build worlds filled with iconic characters, deep mysteries, and endless adventures,” Staten wrote on Twitter. "So today, I'm thrilled to announce that I've joined Netflix Games as Creative Director for a brand-new AAA multiplatform game and original IP. Let's go!"
So today, I'm thrilled to announce that I've joined @Netflix Games as Creative Director for a brand-new AAA multiplatform game and original IP. Let's go! 2/2
— Joseph Staten (@joestaten) April 17, 2023
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Staten announced his departure from Microsoft. Before joining the tech giant in 2013, he worked as a writer and director of cinematics on Bungie’s first three Halo games. Staten later helped write and co-direct Destiny, but left the studio before the game’s release in 2014. Following his return to the Microsoft fold (Bungie was a Microsoft studio before it went independent in 2007), Staten worked as senior creative director on the Xbox Game Studios team for a number of years before moving to 343 Industries in 2020 to assist in the development of Halo Infinite. This past January, Microsoft reassigned Staten away from 343 at the same time it cut “at least” 95 jobs at the troubled developer.
On Monday, Staten said the game he’s working on at Netflix would be a “multiplatform” release. To date, the company’s gaming strategy has primarily centered around obtaining mobile publishing rights to respected indie titles like Into the Breach and Terra Nil. Funding the development of a multiplatform AAA game is significantly more ambitious and, it should be noted, risky.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/halo-veteran-joseph-staten-is-making-a-aaa-game-for-netflix-173502368.html?src=rss
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Halo Infinite’s campaign co-op won’t be available when season two first launches in May
The last we heard, Halo Infinite's campaign co-op was supposed to arrive with season two when it launched in May this year. Now, developer 343 Industries has announced that it won't be available when season 2 debuts but will instead come "later" at an unspecified date in the second season.
"We are still aiming to deliver campaign network co-op later in season two, and we will share a release date for that and for split-screen co-op as soon as we can," said the game's head of creative, Joseph Staten. "It’s going to take more time to land a high-quality, full-featured 4-player network co-op experience in the massive, wide-open world of Halo Infinite."
It seems likely that split-screen for co-op will arrive at the same time, though the company didn't confirm that. "We’re also committed to a great two-player split-screen co-op experience on all Xbox consoles, from the original Xbox One through Xbox Series X — the non-linear, wide-open sections of the Campaign present some big challenges for split-screen that have taken us more time to solve," Staten wrote.
Forge, meanwhile, is still slated to arrive with season three. It's currently in level editor testing with a small group of players and public flights are set for "later this year," the company said.
Season two was supposed to come three months after Halo Infinite's launch on December 8th, but it was pushed back by a couple of months as 343 decided to extend season one. What you will see when it launches on May 3rd are new arena ("Catalyst") and Big Team Battle ("Breaker") maps. It'll also feature new game modes known as Land Grab and Last Spartan Standing, which the company calls "a free-for-all elimination mode."
Microsoft had to use Xbox dev kits to run a ‘Halo Infinite’ tournament
Even Microsoft is feeling the sting of ongoing Xbox shortages. Kotakunotes Microsoft resorted to using Xbox Series X dev kits (not pictured) to run the first big Halo Infinite tournament, the Halo Championship Series' Raleigh Major, this weekend. Simply put, the company couldn't find enough retail consoles to use — the "global supply chain shortage is real," 343 Industries' eSports lead Tahir Hasandjekic said.
The dev kits are "functionally identical" to off-the-shelf consoles and will operate in that mode, Hasandjekic added. They don't look quite the same, but competitors shouldn't notice any differences from the systems they have at home.
The irony is thick, but this also underscores the severity of console shortages over a year after the Xbox Series X made its debut. It's still difficult to buy the machine between scalpers and industry-wide chip shortages, and Microsoft doesn't necessarily have privileged access to its own hardware. With that said, the company probably doesn't want to make a habit of using developer units. We won't be surprised if Microsoft ensures future in-person HCS matchups rely on store-bought Xbox systems, if just for the sake of burnishing its public image.
Heads up open bracket players – you'll be playing this weekend on Series X development consoles. They're functionally identical and will be operating in "Retail" mode so it's the exact same experience, they just look a little different.
Why? Global supply chain shortage is real.
— Tashi (@Tashi343i) December 15, 2021
Halo View review: An affordable Fitbit alternative
The Halo View is a well-rounded fitness band with a focus on wellness and a price that won’t break the bank.
Wearables | Digital Trends
‘Halo Infinite’ release gets rescheduled for fall 2021
After a disappointing unveiling earlier this year, Microsoft put the brakes on plans to make Halo Infinite a launch title for the new Xbox consoles and focused on adding much-needed visual polish. Now, as part of its 343 Day events, the development t…
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Microsoft confirms free ‘Halo Infinite’ multiplayer running at 120FPS
After a leak from an Irish retailer gave up the goods, Microsoft has confirmed the news — Halo Infinite will include a free-to-play multiplayer mode, and it’s running at 120FPS. This news wasn’t revealed during last week’s Xbox Series X gameplay show…
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Production is finally starting on the ‘Halo’ TV series
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‘Halo: Fireteam Raven’ brings its co-op action to the arcade
The next new Halo game isn't for Xbox One or PC — instead Halo: Fireteam Raven is an arcade machine built for four-player cooperative play. A 130-inch 4K screen lets all the players take aim on a rail shooter experience in the environment of the fir…
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Hololens (briefly) shown streaming ‘Halo 5’ and Netflix
We've known for awhile that you can beam practically anything to Microsoft's augmented reality headset, Hololens, but seeing someone playing Halo 5 on a TV that seemingly appears out of thin air is still pretty damned neat. And it's not just Microsof…
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