GDC: Bungie far from done with Halo 3

By Robert Purchese Published 26 March, 2009

U-turns, commits for two more years.

Bungie has promised to work on Halo 3 for "probably" two more years.

The team had previously told us expansion ODST would be the final piece of added content for Halo 3.

"Halo 3 took two and a half years to make, and we're still working on it," said producer Allen Murray during the Bungie GDC panel (thanks Jostiq).

"We'll probably be working on it for two more years."

Whether that means there will be more DLC or expansions, or simply ongoing technical support, remains unclear. We're investigating.

The panel went on to reveal that a number of projects are in development at Bungie, but wouldn't elaborate. Considerable recent recruitment has made this possible for the first time.

Halo 3: ODST will launch exclusively on Xbox 360 this autumn. Before then, on 9th April, Bungie will launch the Mythic Map Pack on Xbox Live.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (59) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • mcmonkeyplc #1 3 years ago

    Hmm I fear all these new projects and recruitment will dilute the quality of their games :S

  • Lutz #2 3 years ago

    What games? They release one every year at best.

  • Thunderbolt #3 3 years ago

    If they are of the same quality of the original trilogy and Halo Wars then I'm game for more.

  • carrotcake #4 3 years ago

    halo 3 is the first one i didnt really care about. eventually got a second hand copy months after it was released and burned through the singleplayer on easy just to see what its about. I think Gears of War is the better Xbox franchise these days!

  • Darren #5 3 years ago

    Halo 3 was the weakest and most disappointing game in the series IMO so I cannot say that I'm too excited about ODST at all, although I can understand why others might.

    I'd like to see Bungie move on from Halo personally and do something completely new, just to show how versatile and imaginative they can be outside of making sequels. I always thought that breaking away from Microsoft was the point of that as having to churn out sequels ad nauseum must be very frustrating and limiting for developers. I wondered if that was the reason Bizarre Creations broke away from Microsoft too so they didn't have to keep making one PGR game after another.

  • NotSoSlim #6 3 years ago

    May as well milk it as sells.

  • maximusfarticus #7 3 years ago

    Rearrange these words into a sentence:

    "Horse A Flogging Dead"

    Edited to add: Actually, thats probably a bit hard to work out for most xbox owners.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/09 @ 09:42

  • Negotiator #8 3 years ago

    Halo 3 was the best out of the 3, and can't wait for ODST, love Bungie.

  • Xerx3s #9 3 years ago

    "halo 3 is the first one i didnt really care about. eventually got a second hand copy months after it was released and burned through the singleplayer on easy just to see what its about. I think Gears of War is the better Xbox franchise these days!"

    Which makes you what? An idiot? It is well known that the AI is what makes the games fun and that only comes into play at the 2 higher difficulty levels. Playing it on easy is fucking boring, just like every other game becomes boring on easy. Comparing 2 different genres is also a bit stupid.

  • Petulant_Radish #10 3 years ago

    Halo 3’s multiplayer is the best available on the current consoles, anyone who doesn’t agree is some toasted pineapple, stabbed on a skewer and then lightly dusted with cinnamon, tasty but inherently wrong. Hurrah for more Halo 3.

  • doragor #11 3 years ago

    @ carrotcake

    on easy? To paraphrase Bungie, the game practically plays itself on easy.
    pussy.

  • yegon #12 3 years ago

    3 was waaaay better than 2 for me. My main niggle with H3, though, was the implementation of Legendary. Just like in 2, it replaced 1's sublime difficulty curve with one hit sniper kills, grrr. This makes Legendary playthroughs a chore rather than a pleasure.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/09 @ 10:03

  • Widge #13 3 years ago

    Halo > GoW

  • Vistrix #14 3 years ago

    Of course they arent done with it. The 360 needs every exclusive game it can get for the next 2 years.

  • Widge #15 3 years ago

    oh and lol at the "killzone is shit, someone please pay attention to me" crusade

  • smernicki #16 3 years ago

    enjoyed the single player but the online's shite these days

    tried to play team deathmatch (or team slayer or whatever they insist on calling it) last weekend and ended up playing 4v4 rattling about a massive map. my team started winning and 3 of the other team quit. not fun. can't see how they'll resurrect the online as long as COD/Modern Warfare 2 are kicking about

  • Widge #17 3 years ago

    Rubbish, the COD4 mapset was dire and couldn't even hold a candle to the Halo 2 mapset.

  • jim1975 #18 3 years ago

    how is halo a dead horses. its in the top 3 franchises on the planted.

  • doragor #19 3 years ago

    @ Coin-Op

    Wrong. COD4 is a great game but the mp maps are dull as f**k.

  • Widge #20 3 years ago

    No reason to own either console if you have one of them really. Feel free to embark on list war/opinion as fact here.

  • miiiguel #21 3 years ago

    My preferences:
    1. Halo CE
    2. Halo 3
    3. Halo Wars (Well, no Bungie but aestheticaly *it is* Halo)
    3. Halo 2

  • thenastypasty #22 3 years ago

    Its simple really if you dont like halo dont play it but if you do like me this is great news,new map maybe more levels for ODST who knows but great new,coin op you really are a dick.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/09 @ 10:58

  • miiiguel #23 3 years ago

    I'm sure I'm not the only one who is happy that actualy fellow gamers like coin-op/Jigonesaw do not like Halo. I'm sure I will not find this gentleman on Live, that's another +1 for the franchise.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/09 @ 10:50

  • muscleblade #24 3 years ago

    "burned through the singleplayer on easy just to see what its about"

    If i did that i would have hated the game. I started on Heroic and thought the campaign was fantastic and the best in the series.

  • Yossarian #25 3 years ago

    Well, I don't know what I was expecting when I opened this comments thread...

  • seasidebaz #26 3 years ago

    how is halo a dead horses. its in the top 3 franchises on the planted.

    Post. Of. The. Day.

  • stepneg #27 3 years ago

    Halo 3 was a great game and would happily buy any new expansions. As for comparisons to Killzone 2 I am half way through it and it's OK but not in the same league as Halo 3, there is just no excitement, just area after area of identical spawning drones, Halo 3 feels grand and cinematic Killzone 2 does not, IMO.

  • miiiguel #28 3 years ago

    And btw, I think Eurogamer could put an article on about that guy (and girl) who latest OXM wrote about... I like Halo quite a lot, but that guy/gal went a bit too far.

  • carrotcake #29 3 years ago

    Aw come on guys. For saying I played Halo 3 on easy, one person called me an idiot and another called me a pussy. I thought the Eurogamer community was better.

    Person #1: I'm not like you. I know I won't have more fun if I make the AI harder - I will have less fun (I did try it actually). I played through on easy because I just wanted to see the game quickly, see all the levels and the story. I'm not interested in the game enough to fight my way through and repeat sections over and over. Also what's wrong with me saying I think Gears is the better brand on Xbox these days. I think Halo is less important than it used to be and Gears is a better poster boy for the console, that's all.

    Person #2: I'm a pussy? Would it make me a big man then if I beat this videogame on the hardest setting? I think it's a bit silly to look down on people for wanting to play games casually. Sidenote: I have 1050 points from Ninja Gaiden II, which means I beat that game on hard, because it's my favourite game and I wanted a challenge from it.

  • miiiguel #30 3 years ago

    I have to agree with carrot, the rethoric was inapropriate , lol, but we're all guilty of that (/speaks for himself, at least). But..., it is really a diferent game when one plays it by himself on Heroic, as Bungie recommends.

  • Petulant_Radish #31 3 years ago

    If all you’re interested in is seeing the levels and story as quickly as possible, and you’re not really bothered about the gaming aspect of it, then why bother playing it at all? Just watch a video of it or read about it.

    Halo 3 on legendary on co-op is immense fun and a challenge, not as much as on your own granted, but still a test. I’m not sure where I am going with this but I don’t really care, I might scratch myself in a minute, that’ll be exciting. I wonder what I’m going to have for lunch later, I’m a bit bored of all the eateries around here, perhaps I’ll go down to Oxford Street and scowl at people when they don’t walk quickly enough…yes that’ll do, oh look, a belly dancer on TV.

  • miiiguel #32 3 years ago

    The "problem" with Legenday in coop is that if you don't put Iron skull on it's much easier than Heroic alone - those generous checkpoints...

  • Yossarian #33 3 years ago

    "I'm not interested in the game enough to fight my way through and repeat sections over and over."

    That's sort of the point, though. The real strength of Halo is its variability. You can replay it endlessly and each experience is subtly different. Even after six or seven run-throughs I'm still encountering new things or seeing new permutations as to how the battles play out.

    Which is why I understand how people can prefer CoD/GoW, for instance. If you played them all once on a low difficulty setting, CoD and GoW would definitely deliver more adrenaline hits and 'cool' setpieces. But in terms of the actual mechanics -- in terms of nuance, and intricacy, and intelligence -- Halo's gameplay is almost infinitely superior.

  • Xerx3s #34 3 years ago

    Oh, jesus wept when reading this thread.

  • muscleblade #35 3 years ago

    @carrotcake

    1050 on NG2 - not bad.

  • seasidebaz #36 3 years ago

    You can replay it endlessly and each experience is subtly different.

    I can't. I'm like a robot. I take exactly the same route every time, so the game plays exactly the same all the time. It's some kind of gaming OCD I think.

  • Triggerhappytel #37 3 years ago

    Fuck off with the Halo milking already and work on something new!

  • muscleblade #38 3 years ago

    "If all you’re interested in is seeing the levels and story as quickly as possible, and you’re not really bothered about the gaming aspect of it, then why bother playing it at all? Just watch a video of it or read about it"

    I couldnt have said it better myself. Ive had this dicussion with a friend of mine that always plays on the easiest difficulty even though he is good at games. He says he played RE5 on amateur just for the story. I dont get it. I rather go to the cinema or read a book for a good story.

  • Widge #39 3 years ago

    I've just had a battered sausage, chips and gravy and can feel the onset of a ferocious poo for this afternoon.

  • maximusfarticus #40 3 years ago

    "how is halo a dead horses. its in the top 3 franchises on the planted."

    Kind of proves my point.

  • ronuds #41 3 years ago

    "But in terms of the actual mechanics -- in terms of nuance, and intricacy, and intelligence -- Halo's gameplay is almost infinitely superior."

    This!!! Well done.

    This is what people don't understand about Halo - because they play it for 5 minutes and decide it's shit. Halo can be played in so many ways its replayability is tremendous.

    I likes me some COD as well, but it doesn't have even 1/3 the number of features Halo 3 does.

  • maximusfarticus #42 3 years ago

    @trebell

    I'm questioning yours right about now fuckwit.

  • RedSparrows #43 3 years ago

    Halo 3 is brilliant. Maximus is a very mean troll.

    The more support for H3, the better. I doubt that means Bungie are incapable of developing new titles at the same time. Give them some credit.

  • jim1975 #44 3 years ago

    @maximus

    "how is halo a dead horses. its in the top 3 franchises on the planted."

    "Kind of proves my point."

    do you know what the term flogging a dead horse means, the keyword is DEAD. theirs no point flogging it because it DEAD. so the horses (halo) would have to be DEAD for you point to be proved. and do you honestly think the horses (halo) is DEAD. no its not is it.

    think with your brain not your arse

  • maximusfarticus #45 3 years ago

    @jim1975

    Do you know what the word "punctuation" means?

  • jim1975 #46 3 years ago

    its a post on a forum. how is punctuation important.

  • Jimbob89 #47 3 years ago

    Halo threads bring out the worse in people : ( My opinion is that halo is awesome, and all these people saying that it's gone on for too long, and they should stop making them are abit daft. Mario is still going after 20years or so? look how many final fantasy games there've been, or even Call of Duty which has around 5 games, without including expansions. The more support the better i feel : )

  • miiiguel #48 3 years ago

    Well, make a thread about Halo with a subtitle like "Halo is spelled H A L O" and you'll have maximus and minions writing about dead horses and punctuation.
    Now compare it with other "milked franchises" like: "NFS is going to have 256 online players"... who the fuck cares???!


    Halo franchise *is* important. Like it. Or not.

  • doragor #49 3 years ago

    @ carrotcake

    I wasn't being serious dude - I don't think you're a pussy. However, you haven't played the Halo I have on easy difficulty. there is no challenge on easy. It's a different game.

  • El-Dev #50 3 years ago

    Are we talking gaming franchises or just all franchises? Because if we're just talking franchises in the world, no game is in the top 10.


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  • ronuds #51 3 years ago

    Yeah, Halo's a bit different than most games because as you go up in difficulty, the AI grows more intelligent, and therefore creates a more interesting game. Normally the AI can just absorb more bullets.

  • maximusfarticus #52 3 years ago

    @RedSparrows

    I'm not mean, just misunderstood.

  • Petulant_Radish #53 3 years ago

    Why do people attack Bungie for ‘milking’ the Halo franchise, when they have had three games spanning two consoles. The extra content for Halo 3 should be applauded because it is still supporting the online community 2 years after a release, when compared to franchises like COD which get dropped once the yearly installation has been dropped into the marketplace this should be seen as the sign of a developer who truly cares, and I don’t use that word lightly.

    I use nothing lightly, except for margarine, and that is only when I oil myself up to get into air vents, sliding through the cool breeze watching people work below me is so exhilarating.

  • mcmonkeyplc #54 3 years ago

    Woah! Halo 3 is not diluted at all, it defies belief how anyone can call it that!

  • ronuds #55 3 years ago

    "Why do people attack Bungie for ‘milking’ the Halo franchise, when they have had three games spanning two consoles."

    Because it's one of the biggest franchises and therefore grabs a lot of negative attention. Most normal people would love to see more Halo.

    Don't pay attention to the haters, as they clearly have no affect on sales or how good the games are. Halo lives on with or without them.

  • Petulant_Radish #56 3 years ago

    I only pay attention to them to keep them alive, they would fade away into insignificance and probably cut themselves in dark rooms if it were not for a bit of internet based vitriolic diatribes. People’s dislike of a game does not really bother me as only my opinion matters in terms of taste, I always find amusement in the outrage that surrounds review scores as irrational fools vent their blackened spleens trough clouds of idiocy based upon someone else opinion, it tends to show that person is not very confident, as why do you feel the need to be backed up by anyone? It’s not a physical brawl where you need back-up.

    That said I’d much rather smoke crack with others then cut my eyeballs out on my own so there you go.

  • onyxbox #57 3 years ago

    Bungie want to move on you can feel it but they're probably contractually obliged to hang around for another couple of years...

    not exactly conducive towards creativity and enthusiasm... IMO MS need to move on... Halo's old now we need a 'new' super game that isn't actually tied to the 'Halo' brand.


  • Pro_Gamer #58 3 years ago

    Halo 3 perfected the genre of first person shooting. No other game EVER made boasts the intricate depth and attention to detail offered by Halo 3. The physics engine blows the mind. Unfortunately, you have a lot of n00bs who suck and 'burn through the campaign on easy' and wonder what the fuss is about. They don't deserve to play such a game.

  • Rash' #59 3 years ago

    Halo 3 is the the best in the series. as a SP experience it pisses over all except Half Life 2. as MP there's no competition.

    oh and lets get real here this series is preaching to the converted (which is not a good thing).
    Edited by 1 at 27/03/09 @ 06:32