A recent Microsoft job posting has offered a few hints at the direction in which they plan to take the next Halo title (not ODST). After a round of rhetorical questions concerning the applicant’s assumed love of the franchise and the like, the ad goes on to announce the ‘ambitious task ahead, taking the current Halo community and online gaming support system and bringing it to the next level.’
Elucidating somewhat cryptically, the job listing explains that they’re ‘looking to blend console, web, and mobile to create an immersive Halo world that follows the dedicated Halo fan wherever they go.’ While the collision of venues might suggest a game developed in the vein of the upcoming Huxley, no further details are offered save the stated goal of delivering ‘a great out-of-game interactive experience that takes the next step beyond the systems found in Halo 3.’
Though the posting makes mention of ‘several external teams – including other MGS studios’, with Bungie and Ensemble out of the fight one wonders to whom, precisely, the project will ultimately be handed off.
Source: Joystiq (via The Escapist)
“looking to blend console, web, and mobile to create an immersive Halo world that follows the dedicated Halo fan wherever they go”
Great, now I can have people calling me racial and sexual slurs everywhere I go!
Hmm, sounds like Microsoft has a lot of faith in the serie’s ability to stretch beyond being a solid FPS.
Which platform are they going to use to make it mobile?
They can’t put it on the PSP..
Or the DS
Maybe the iPhone?
I’m tired of Master Chief. It’s really getting old and bland.
So good, but too overused.
Why can’t they be creative and come up with something new?
Bungie isn’t even that good anymore. Now they just want to appeal all ”extreme” to their underage fans.
I got less and less impressed as the series went on, playing Halo Wars at the moment, the change in perspective is refreshing, so it’ll be interesting to see what perspective the other titles aim for.
My bet is that it’ll be an MMO with a variation of the way EVE Online currently deals with skilling up. Essentially with EVE, you can set your character learning things that improve your skills while you are logged out of the game. It takes the grind out of leveling your skills and enables a more casual approach to gameplay. I’m assuming the ‘mobile’ portion of this will allow you to easily check your progress and/or change your skill leveling.
In the first place: I’m assuming it’s going to be an MMO because that’s what makes money and involves a lot of ‘web connectivity’ – Blizzard rakes in something like 1 billion plus dollars a year from WoW.
Microsoft wants this market.
@ Owen
A Halo MMO would be kinda cool actually. If not an MMO, maybe some sort of RPG that you start off when you first get captured when you are 6 years old and you work your way up like in the books.