Bungie not ready to talk about Reach

By Tom Bramwell Published 5 September, 2009

And DLC for ODST is still unlikely.

Bungie yesterday said that it is in no rush to start talking about Halo: Reach what with Halo 3: ODST yet to ship.

"Obviously right now what we're excited about is the impending launch of ODST, so we don't want to totally start talking about next year's model before this one's even off the assembly line," community lead Brian Jarrard explained in answer to a fan's question about Reach gameplay footage during the Penny Arcade Expo ODST panel.

"But there is a beta that's coming next year, so all you've got to do is sit tight. If you want to be part of Reach from the very beginning then you want to make sure you keep an ODST disc handy," he added.

The firm also reiterated that DLC for ODST is unlikely. "There's no current plans right now for DLC for ODST," senior designer Lars Bakken said in answer to another question. "That could change, but uh..."

"I think what Lars really meant to say was," Jarrard took over, winning a laugh from the huge crowd, many of whom had to queue for over 45 minutes to get their seats, "the team's working really hard on another really huge game coming out next fall [Reach]." We think Jarrard went on to say that DLC may be "a consideration down the road" depending on the success of Firefight, but the tape's a bit garbled by hooting Halo fanboys so we can't be sure.

As for the rest of the panel, an eight-strong group including Marty O'Donnell and Joe Staten enjoyed taking the piss out of one another as they talked about the development of ODST, which is out on 22nd September, and specifically how they fleshed out the New Mombasa night-time setting with cues from film noir.

There was also much ribbing about getting rid of the battle rifle, previews of some of O'Donnell's lovely music, and some cool footage of Alan Tudyk, Nathan Fillion, Nolan North and Tricia Helfer recording their dialogue. Upload plz.

Halo 3: ODST is playable at PAX, mainly in the co-operative Firefight mode, for which there will be 10 maps shipping with the game this month. Check out our recent Halo 3: ODST hands-on to find out why the whole thing's shaping up to be rather awesome.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (37) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Optyk #1 2 years ago

    I'm a Halo fan, but i'm not excited at all about Reach, I want the overall story to progress rather than play a prequel.

  • Skire #2 2 years ago

    DLC for ODST unlikely? Hahaha! They'll be milking the Halo cow like they always do.

  • hiddenranbir #3 2 years ago

    Is there more to progress?

  • Paperghost #4 2 years ago

    if they do make dlc for it, i won't be buying as i don't want to see it come "free" with the next halo themed game further down the line...

    / edit - i love that you get marked down for mentioning that purchasing a bunch of halo themed DLC (should it arrive) individually would be rather pointless given they could just punt it out for free later on with another game, just like they're currently doing with the halo 3 maps.

    presumably spend, spend, spend regardless is viewed as a good thing...
    Edited by 1 at 06/09/09 @ 02:01

  • The-Bodybuilder #5 2 years ago

    A DLC for what is, essentially a DLC?

  • cowell #6 2 years ago

    Reach?

    Reacharound more like...

  • Lukus #7 2 years ago

    wen iz beta?????!!!!1111

  • WinterSnowblind #8 2 years ago

    I assume people who think they're "milking" Halo, have never played another game franchise before?
    I don't see how what they're doing with Halo is any worse than any other series out there.

    More Metal Gear, more Zelda, more Call of Duty, Rock Band, Ratchet & Clank, Elder Scrolls, etc.. It doesn't matter how many games we have there, people keep asking for more. But as soon as they make an expansion for Halo it's "lol, milking". Sometimes I'm ashamed to be a gamer.

  • Xerx3s #9 2 years ago

    "I'm a Halo fan, but i'm not excited at all about Reach, I want the overall story to progress rather than play a prequel. "

    Sorry but then you aren't a halo fan (at least, not in terms of story), a reach story arc game has been silently hoped for by many for years as it is just about one of the most significant and awesome story elements in the halo universe.

  • famous_roy #10 2 years ago

    @cowell Best comment I have ever read.

    So far all footage of ODST suggests that it's Halo 3 with GoW2 horde mode slapped on and some new maps. Will wait for reviews..
    Edited by 1 at 05/09/09 @ 20:36

  • The-Bodybuilder #11 2 years ago

    LOL at the twats that give me negative feedback.
    What is it with halo that makes the pendelum swing so madly? one minite, everyone loves it, then the anti-hype crew starts to grow, then now one can't say anything remotely negative about it without negative feedback.
    FYI, I'm not a halo hater, its one of my fav series, but come one, ODST IS a DLC, whether they charge full price or not. To now make talk od a DLC for what is essentially a DLC is madness.
    Edited by 1 at 05/09/09 @ 21:42

  • BillyBrush #12 2 years ago

    @Bodybuilder
    ODST IS a DLC

    You've got your facts spectacularly wrong there old bean....but good luck downloading it.

    ...what matters is if it's good or not...it could be downloadable, on a disc, on an SD card or on UMD, if it's a good game it's a good game, don't go getting all in a tizzy because it was once going to be a download.

  • hiddenranbir #13 2 years ago

    I sense a lot of negativity when it comes to the subject of Halo. :x

  • CreepinJesus #14 2 years ago

    No DLC.. you better make sure these ODST maps are a darn sight better than Halo 3's, Bungie...

  • The-Bodybuilder #15 2 years ago

    @ Billy
    What I mean is that ODST is an expansion pack, let us not forget its origins. Anyone who believes that tripe about MS stating that they've put enough in to justify it being a full-price game is naive imo.
    My point is that ODST was meant to be a downloadable expansion for halo 3, then MS decided they could charge full whack and make even more money on it. If they ever decided on to make a DLC for ODST, what's to say they won't just repeat the same process; is in claim they've done enough to warrant a full price charge, then just claim its a full game?

  • Sunyavadin #16 2 years ago

    I anticipate Bungie and MS milking it for more Hor-sorry, Firefight maps if it proves successful.

    We'll see.

    I'm hopeful regarding it.

  • TheTingler #17 2 years ago

    I enjoyed all three Halo games, but when I saw that ODST was full-price I put my foot down and said "no thanks". Same goes for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Until both games are reduced in price I won't be getting either one of them.

    I don't care if it's a long wait, there's plenty of good looking games coming out shortly I want to buy instead. Borderlands, Alpha Protocol, Brutal Legend, Scribblenauts, Dragon Age, Left 4 Dead 2, A Boy And His Blob, Assassin's Creed II, Halo ODST... wait, scratch that last one.

    With Wolfenstein sucking and the other two big single-player FPS games before Xmas being hideously overpriced, I guess Borderlands is going to get a lot of playtime!

  • hiruu #18 2 years ago

    Some people are just stupid! Halo ODST is NOT a DLC...it's a frigging full game using the Halo 3 engine...why is it so freaking hard to comprehend? Are some of you posters just that darn dumb?

  • NOSAVIOUR #19 2 years ago

    I don't understand why some retards think that ODST is equivalent to DLC. It is not... read up on it and it may click.

  • Cpt_McOneball #20 2 years ago

    @The Bodybuilder:

    Microsoft have nothing to do with the pricing. If I have got my facts right, then Bungie seperated from them to become independent some time last year.

  • RedSparrows #21 2 years ago

    Bungie is still tied to MS in a big way, in particular with Halo. MS set the price, I reckon.

  • WinterSnowblind #22 2 years ago

    I think the one thing a lot of people are missing is that.. £30 is not full price.
    I understand why Americans are complaining about the game, but it's not a full priced game over here.

    And although it started off as something that was supposed to be a lot smaller, they said they greatly expanded the scope. According to most previews and those that have the game early, the game is around 8-10 hours long, which is at least as long as Halo 3's campaign, but has a lot more to explore and even has a hidden side quest. Firefight mode looks great, and if you haven't already bought the Halo 3 maps, it's great value for those alone.

    So let's at least wait until the game is out before calling it "full priced DLC".

  • Yossarian #23 2 years ago

    The game is published by Microsoft, who determine the price.

    ODST was never, ever planned to be DLC. It was always disc-based.

  • makeamazing #24 2 years ago

    Does the "Its was a DLC, it was on disk" argument actually matter? What matters will be :

    1. Is the game any good.
    2. Is it worth the price that is being asked for it

    Simple really... wait until the game is out and reviewed, then start complaining it was a DLC, or its not enough content, or any good etc.

  • RedSparrows #25 2 years ago

    Makeamazing, you forget. This is a large, console-exclusive francise, and in particular is one of the largest ever. Logical reaction doesn't matter - hatred counts!

  • makeamazing #26 2 years ago

    I hardly use my Xbox and prefer the PS3, but even i can use logical reactions.. but yes RedSparrows you are right, its not worth reasoning with people who are seemingly so angry over a computer game ... :D

  • cw- #27 2 years ago

    Why even announce 'Reach' so early?

  • kongzi #28 2 years ago

    Fact is, even if it's just an expansion pack.. they can slap full price on it and everybody is still going to buy it. A strong brand will do that for you.

  • Lukus #29 2 years ago

    I'm appalled that no one realised my first comment was tongue in cheek.

  • patchbox360 #30 2 years ago

    halo = weaksauce graphics

  • patchbox360 #31 2 years ago

    the 360 hahahahaha

    http://ww w.gametrailers.com/video/pax-09...

  • miiiguel #32 2 years ago

    The only special edition of this I've seen was with a "not so cool" controller..., I wish we had a diferent one. Halo Wars SE was pretty good.

    I don't understand why they aren't doing one. Bah...

  • EmiliasHorse #33 2 years ago

    I think Reach has great potential, having read the book I would very much like to take part in that story. Lots of folks these days think it is fashionable to whine about Halo. I am not in that camp at all; I love the Halo universe and want more.

  • altitude2k #34 2 years ago

    Squad-based missions comprising entirely of Spartans? I'm in.

  • RedPanda #35 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • altitude2k #36 2 years ago

    Actually thinking about it a little bit more - while fighting amongst a whole army of spartans will be very cool, I do get this nagging feeling that it may take a way a little bit of what made the MC unique and legendary. I'm sure Bungie will do a good job of showing him as that little bit more than your average spartan, I just home that the fact you're now just another one won't upset how epic the story is.
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/09 @ 08:44

  • swissorc #37 2 years ago

    Lots of long posts on this subject so I'll keep mine short. ODST no purchase I'll do my xbox justice get something a little more original but to contradict myself can't wait for Forza 3 keep me busy till GT5 :-)