Bungie on Halo 3 co-op chatter

By Tom Bramwell Published 22 July, 2007

Online decision yet to be made.

Bungie has responded to reports that it's uncertain about whether Halo 3 will have online co-operative elements by saying that a decision has yet to be made.

"Online co-op is a feature we're wrestling with somewhere," Frank O'Connor wrote in Bungie's latest weekly update. "As we approach the tail end of development, we will have a clearer picture of whether or not that online feature will be included. Assuming either way would be foolish at this time. We will say more when we feel it's prudent."

As to what's putting it into doubt, Bungie said that "the challenge of getting our complicated AI systems, huge game world, and gargantuan encounters neatly packaged and transferring across the Interwebz is a mythic undertaking".

Things Bungie is happy to talk about include the Covenant Energy Sword, the real-life Warthog built by WETA for the action short directed by Neill Blomkamp and shown at E3, and the dev's quest to locate "the world's biggest Halo fan". You can read all of that elsewhere in the update.

Or you could check out our Halo 3 gamepage for links to our E3 preview, the latest trailer and other goodies. It's out on 26th September, as if you didn't know.

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. Follow him on Twitter.

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

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Comments (28) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • morriss #1 5 years ago

    Why is Shinji on 90% of the [number] users want this game?! ;=)

    Still, I really hope it makes it. Can't wait.

  • smoothn00dle #2 5 years ago

    everyone can make a halo nowadays and Halo try to be every FPS game.

  • captainrentboy #3 5 years ago

    Before anyone else says it, can I just say ''DRIP, DRIP, DRIP'', regarding this news piece.
    There we go, that saved 100 PS3 fanboys the effort :)
    I reckon there will be online Co-Op in the game, it's just that the news wasn't supposed to have been leaked so early(By an American mag, I think), so they're trying to cover it all up a bit, and then they'll (re)surprise us when they announce it nearer the release date.
    If it's not there I wont be overly bothered, as long as the Campaign and MP modes are bloody awesome in their own right.

  • penhalion #4 5 years ago

    More accurately I would say assuming they can shoehorn it into a product that MUST already be in QA testing if it's to get a september release is idiotic. They seem very reluctant to admit they don't have Online co-op. So would I be after seeing that rainbow 6 managed it just fine as did every other FPS out there this year.

  • alimokrane #5 5 years ago

    Hasnt it occured to anybody that perhaps they want to release it as a downloadable content after the games release and price it at one gizillion Microsoft point ? Mark my words, this is how they'll do it. it's the last game of the series and Mr Billy needs his 1.8 billion loss back!
    Edited by alimokrane at 23/07/07 @ 09:08

  • 3william56 #6 5 years ago

    "Bungie has responded to reports that it's uncertain about whether Halo 3 will have online co-operative elements by saying that a decision has yet to be made."

    In other words, the reports are right, Bungie *are* uncertain, and there is nothing to see here. Come on EG - it may be a slow news day, but that's ridiculous.

  • jiveguy #7 5 years ago

    This sounds like a big fat "No". Didn't this happen last time round with Halo 2?

  • Darren #8 5 years ago

    I suspect the September release date will mean that online co-op will very likely not be included going by the comments coming from Bungie but it could still be added later as a downloadable patch a la Kameo. Mind you, I personally would have thought that delaying the game a couple of months to its traditional November release date to add the online co-op would be more ideal than patching the game later but who am I to question their decisions! ;)

  • krokomkiller #9 5 years ago

    This makes me angry. Halo was the first fps I played in coop and that was at least half of the games greaitiness. Xbox 360 is all about online playing so ofc the game that made many of us buy the console should have online coop. No excuses realy.

  • Arcadiian #10 5 years ago

    Didn't we already have this news from Eurogamer a while ago ?

    Or is this just an update ?

  • Lutz #11 5 years ago

    An update. The original article said that "Halo 3 co-op in doubt?" Going off of the EGM scans. The above is Bungies official stance.

  • Amajiro #12 5 years ago

    Can someone please confirm that "online co-op" is different to "split-screen co-op", and that the latter is definitely in the game?

  • richardiox #13 5 years ago

    That's what I dont get - if you can code situations for 2 player split stream co-op surely you can do the same for 2 player online co-op? Unless its a bandwidth limitation issue? Although Bungie are implying its the gameplay mechanics of the massive battles that mean they are struggling. This would apply to both split-screen and online.

  • Benno #14 5 years ago

    after an improved campaign mode, online co-op should have been next on the agenda of essential additions to the game

    i cant believe such a highly regarded developer is "wrestling" with the idea, not when games such as gears and vegas among many others have set the benchmark

  • RexRunti #15 5 years ago

    Gears, Vegas, Kameo, hell even Marvel Ultimate Alliance has online co-op

  • Darren #16 5 years ago

    Yes, but all of those games have small, enclosed levels. Maybe Halo 3's massive open levels make it difficult to implement online co-op effectively without resorting to that annoying "teleportation" effect when one player wanders off too far? Certainly Bungie mentioned the possibility of another player being a mile away so that suggests the levels are huge!

  • Dermoth #17 5 years ago

    The Beta code contained an error message which indicated there would be four player online co-op.

    "The game cannot start because all players are set to observer. Too many players for splitscreen. Only 2 players may play splitscreen coop on the same Xbox 360 console. The party size is too large to start the game. Up to 4 players may play coop on Xbox Live or System Link. Loading information from Xbox Live…"

    [link url=http://flamesoffeenix.wordpress.com/2007/05/19/revealed-halo-3-campaign-4-player-co-op-over-live/
    ]http://flamesoffeenix.wordpress.com/2007...[/link]

    I dunno. I hope it's true.
    I

  • Moggo #18 5 years ago

    I don't know about anyone else, but the news that Halo 3 will have 'huge game worlds' heartens me a bit. Halo 2's confined level's ruined the Halo feel.

    More 'Attack on The Control Room' style levels, please.

  • MAX99 #19 5 years ago

    they're absolutely crazy if they don't include some form of online co-op. gears of war has now set this benchmark and the press will slam bungue if they don't rise to the challenge.

    online co-op has me more excited than the prospect of deathmatch.

  • SomaticSense #20 5 years ago

    Edited by SomaticSense at 23/07/07 @ 15:15

  • ChromeMud #21 5 years ago

    Bungie,I will never forget Halo 1 when completing the final stage co-op with a friend driving that car through an exploding mother-ship.To play co-op online would be top-dollar.Co-Op in Crackdown is excellent and that's one huge world so why can't Halo3 do it.Do it even if it's a DL patch to the game but make the promise atleast and please all us LIVE players who play games with friends.DO IT NOW!

  • subtlesnake #22 5 years ago

    It was said in one of the previews that one encounter features more enemies than the entire first level of Halo. I'm sure it's easy to cram that information down crappy p2p connections.

  • QotSAfan #23 5 years ago

    Who cares? Offline co-op with real people is way more fun.

  • Dermoth #24 5 years ago

    Well, I care. Most of my friends aren't gamers.

    There's a reason for that, incidentally.

  • Sorb #25 5 years ago

    I'm just waiting for Bungie to screw us over just like the last time.

    Who'll be the first to create a petition demanding that they delay Halo 3 until it's finished?

    Edit: fixed the link
    Edited by Sorb at 23/07/07 @ 19:48

  • Jas315 #26 5 years ago

    OmGoZZ Haloo 3... HALO 3!!!! OMGOZZZZHALOO

    HALOO 3333REEEE

    !!!!!!!HALOOOOOOO!!! OMG OMG OMG

    /Explodes

    Nah, but seriously guys...

    HALO MUTHAFUCKIN 333 OMGOSHZZZZ!!!!11111111111111111111111111111

    (Pointless article)

  • NegativeZero #27 5 years ago

    That's what I dont get - if you can code situations for 2 player split stream co-op surely you can do the same for 2 player online co-op? Unless its a bandwidth limitation issue?

    The problem is that in a lot of places, a 512kbps or even 256kbps line is considered 'broadband'. System Link is 100mbit ethernet. It's certainly not a case of the system itself being unable to keep up, and over a local network bandwidth shouldn't be an issue. The problem will be getting it to work well over a network which has high latency and potentially low bandwidth.

    You know that if it ran like crap on 512kbps connections, the people with those shitty pipes would blame Bungie for writing bad code. Gears of War isn't a fair comparison, you generally have really small areas and it's rare to have more than a handful of enemies at once, whereas Halo is well known for having large, expansive outdoor environments populated with huge piles of enemies and allies.

    Personally I hope they can optimise things enough to get this feature in, but I'm not holding my breath.

  • Carrybagma #28 5 years ago

    Things Bungie is happy to talk about include the Covenant Energy Sword, the real-life Warthog built by WETA for the action short directed by Neill Blomkamp and shown at E3, and the dev's quest to locate "the world's biggest cunt". You can read all of that elsewhere in the update.