Halo Infinite story DLC reportedly not planned, new online Halo game said to use Unreal Engine

videogameschronicle.com:

343 Industries reportedly has no plans to develop Halo Infinite story DLC, with the studio’s current focus said to be on making new games built with a different engine.

According to Bloomberg, the studio is not working on additional campaign content for the game, which was released in November 2021 and was built using the Slipspace Engine.

Slipspace is reportedly buggy and difficult to use, contributing to the game’s troubled production, according to sources said to be familiar with its development.

It’s claimed that several Halo Infinite multiplayer modes that are almost finished, including Extraction and Assault, are partly being held up because of issues with the engine.

Backing up a previous report, Bloomberg claims that 343 made the decision to pivot to Epic’s Unreal Engine late last year.

It’s reportedly being used for a new multiplayer game codenamed Tatanka, which 343 is developing in collaboration with prolific Texas-based support studio Certain Affinity. The game is said to have begun life as a battle royale, but that it could yet evolve in different directions.

343 developers are reportedly creating prototypes in the Unreal Engine and pitching ideas for new Halo games. It’s claimed that while future series entries could use Unreal, there’s concern in some quarters that doing so might negatively impact how Halo feels to play.

The studio was reportedly hit hard as part of mass layoffs at Microsoft this month, with Bloomberg reporting that at least 95 people at the company lost their jobs.

Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty told the publication that “343 will continue as the internal developer for Halo and as the home of Halo.”