Halo MMO would be "challenging" - Bungie

By Phil Elliott Published 14 October, 2008

Studio was surprised by Ensemble concepts.

Making an MMO out of the Halo franchise would be a "pretty challenging" undertaking that would involve the creation of a "whole new layer of fiction and new characters that don't currently exist" - and is a subject that has often been the subject of "heated discussions" at Bungie.

That's according to Brian Jarrard, community and PR director at the company, who told GamesIndustry.biz in an interview at the Tokyo Game Show that it would be "hard for me to imagine... not that it couldn't be done."

"I'm not sure," he said. "They are like our lunchtime discussions at the studio. A Halo MMO wasn't something that at the studio we had a lot of purview on. We'd heard rumblings and on paper, if someone says 'Let's take Halo, plus Warcraft, equals dollar signs...'"

He also said that Bungie was surprised by the extent of the concept work done by Ensemble studios that surfaced recently.

"So it was interesting when that whole thing came to light, there was more there than we ever really thought there was. I don't know, we've had a lot of heated discussions - there's a big, vast, rich universe, but then again it's hard for me to imagine.

"Everybody wants to be Master Chief, they all want to be the Spartan. You'd have to create a whole new layer of fiction and new characters that don't currently exist - not that it couldn't be done," he added.

"I don't know if I would want to invest and become a Warthog mechanic in a garage, when all my friends were out there kicking ass on the front lines. I'm sure there's probably enough there to work with where something could of come of it, but I think it would have been pretty challenging."

Check GamesIndustry.biz's full interview with Jarrard for more, or read Eurogamer's own Bungie interview from TGS for the scoop on Halo 3 Recon.

Comments (19) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • iokthemonkey #1 4 years ago

    "I don't know if I would want to invest and become a Warthog mechanic in a garage, when all my friends were out there kicking ass on the front lines."

    ----

    I'm sure he knows his field, but that comment shows he knows nothing about MMOs.

  • Triggerhappytel #2 4 years ago

    Please, no more Halo games. I think two genres and one spin-off is enough for the moment (that's without counting Peter Jackson's project).

    Surely the Halo teets must be running dry soon? Or have MS been getting lessons from the Nintendo school of thought?

  • Lutz #3 4 years ago

    Caning the Halo MMO is probably the best decision MS have ever made.

  • iokthemonkey #4 4 years ago

    Caning the Halo MMO is probably the best decision MS have ever made.

    ----

    I'm not a fan of the series, but I don't understand the backlash against the idea. It would be nice to play another MMO that wasn't all Elves and +3 Swords...

    Granted - as he points out in the interview - it would probably end up with SWG Jedi Syndrome (i.e. everybody wanting to be the Master Chief) but it would be quite possible to work around that.

  • Xerx3s #5 4 years ago

    Fuck that, I'd rather be an elite. :D

  • Inquisitor #6 4 years ago

    It was never in production was it? All the stuff Ensemble produced was just a test bed, to see what they could come up with, maybe even a pitch to Microsoft.

    Anyway, I think MS have managed the Halo franchise fairly well up until now. Halo RTS...hmmmm, not really convinced, you'll have a hard time getting most halo fans to pick up a game in a completely different genre I think. The halo expansion (Recon) is just that, I think it's harsh to accuse them of milking the franchise by simply bringing in a standalone expansion almost 2 years after the 3rd released.

    As for Jackson's project...well, who knows.

  • Xerx3s #7 4 years ago

    On the other hand: World raids:D

  • Xerx3s #8 4 years ago

    "Please, no more Halo games. I think two genres and one spin-off is enough for the moment (that's without counting Peter Jackson's project).

    Surely the Halo teets must be running dry soon? Or have MS been getting lessons from the Nintendo school of thought? "

    Oh ffs, are you writing this in so many other sequel threads? Like mario (averaging above 7 games each year for the past 27 years)? The halo games have been brilliant so more of that brilliance would be awesome (though I wouldn't ever buy into an mmo).

  • Dizzy #9 4 years ago

    "Granted - as he points out in the interview - it would probably end up with SWG Jedi Syndrome (i.e. everybody wanting to be the Master Chief) but it would be quite possible to work around that. "

    Very easily I guess. First of all you would have the Covenant playable (that is already a few classes) and you can have Spartan variations (faster, tankish, medics, snipers...) and a few Shock Troopers with "extra" gimmicks. Throw in some pilots and undercover types and you have plenty of classes.

    I think it will happen in the future.
    Edited by Dizzy at 14/10/08 @ 11:07

  • Darren #10 4 years ago

    I'm personally fed up of the Halo first-person shooters... Halo 3 was OK I suppose but the series has been gradually getting less enjoyable for me and I've never rated the online mode at all.

    I am, however, really looking foward a lot to Halo Wars as its a new take on the Halo universe. A Halo MMO also sounds far more interesting that Halo 3: Recon (meh!) but then there's the danger that it'll be just like every other MMO only with a different skin. I'm not wholly convinced that the Halo universe would translate well to an MMO but I think it would work well as an RTS. I can't wait to play Halo Wars!

  • Triggerhappytel #11 4 years ago

    "Oh ffs, are you writing this in so many other sequel threads?"

    At times, yes. I have no love for the vast Mario whoring Nintendo do, similarly I think Star Wars goes for quantity over quality all too often.

    I have nothing against the Halo brand, I just don't think the franchise spiralling into so many different genres is particularly productive. Before you know it we'll have World of Halo, Super Warthog Racing and Spartan Fighter. Mark my words ;)

  • iokthemonkey #12 4 years ago

    I just don't think the franchise spiralling into so many different genres is particularly productive.

    -----

    Maybe, but the setting isn't what dictates the quality - it's whether the game is actually any good or not.

  • Markusdragon #13 4 years ago

    "Everybody wants to be Master Chief, they all want to be the Spartan"

    Meanwhile, Bungie is making a game where you're a drop-trooper. Errr...

  • Nithron #14 4 years ago

    Also, wasn't the Halo setting originally going to be used for a strategy game anyway, before it became an FPS?

  • sneetch #15 4 years ago

    Hmmm... why is it I imagine the following in my combat log?

    Your Battle Rifle auto hits Elite for 17 damage.
    Your Battle Rifle auto hits Elite for 16 damage (1 resisted).
    Your Battle Rifle auto crits Elite for 37 damage.
    Your Aimed Shot hits Elite for 42 damage.
    You have slain Elite.
    You gain 126 XP.
    You loot 12 credits.
    You loot Torn Elite Shoulderpads.

    I don't think "standard" MMOs like Warcraft work with Sci-fi. They'll try to shoehorn in tanks, healers and mage-like DPS in one way or another and end up with something that feels wrong. Something like Planetside could work. With a proper mechanism for getting people into combat where they're needed ASAP.

    @Triggerhappytel
    "Surely the Halo teets must be running dry soon? Or have MS been getting lessons from the Nintendo school of thought?"

    Yes, from Nintendo or Konami or Capcom or Activision or Square or... well... or just about anyone with a franchise whose "number" goes above 3. Lets be honest here, MS is hardly the first to realise they've got a "winner" are they? So far it's not too abusive. They've produced 3 Halo FPS games and have an expansion and Halo Wars in the works.

    Another game isn't bad in and of itself, I quite like the Halo universe, there's a lot of potential there.

  • iokthemonkey #16 4 years ago

    SWG's combat was actually pretty good until they turned it twitchy - you had different stances and your movement effected your chance to hit, so it was kind of dynamic in a turn-based way.

    And healing was done via Medics, who had to run-up and inject you, which worked pretty nicely too.

    I think it can be done, but as you point out, it probably would just end up being "WoW in Space."

  • Freek #17 4 years ago

    "I don't know if I would want to invest and become a Warthog mechanic in a garage, when all my friends were out there kicking ass on the front lines. I'm sure there's probably enough there to work with where something could of come of it, but I think it would have been pretty challenging."

    Woulden't you just be joining your mates in combat, repairing thier vehicels?

  • iokthemonkey #18 4 years ago

    Woulden't you just be joining your mates in combat, repairing thier vehicels?
    ----

    Or "Mechanic" would be a trade-skill you could learn to augment your class/role.

  • louyfitz #19 4 years ago

    It would work, if everyone was marines.

    Some working and defending earth, Some in hornets blasting banshees, some protecting the chief, like you have to grind a while to get assigned to a hornet, blast banshee and level up to get a protect the chief mission.
    Edited by louyfitz at 15/10/08 @ 11:57