Since originally watching the Microsoft E3 press conference, I’ve been contemplating to myself what other Halo project is 343 Industries working on. Currently, the Internet is a buzz with a new Microsoft job listing for a Senior producer position on a ‘new project line’. As I’ve been really excited for the Phantom Dust remake, I went to rewatch the trailer when I came across something I hadn’t seen before. Obviously, there was an image near the beginning of the trailer that originally teased Gears of War 3 but what I didn’t see until this morning was a screenshot from the original Halo Wars announcement trailer behind the protagonist on a billboard which was behind a tree; the image appears again much more clearly at the end of the trailer between the protagonist and antagonist. Back in late January of this year, it was announced that Black Tusk, lead by Rod Fergusson, would develop the next Gear of War game but nothing has been announced for Halo Wars since the leader boards were wiped randomly a few months after Ensemble Studios was closed by Microsoft.
Apparently, this new project might be something to do with a potential Halo Wars sequel. While the position that was posted yesterday has nothing exemplary beyond expectations for the studio, things seem point to the game being developed in house perhaps by a smaller team like the one that finished Spartan Assault last year. As I said before, Microsoft wouldn’t be getting Ensemble back on the project as they were closed shortly before the original game’s release. Speculation from a popular Halo YouTube channel from a few NeoGAF posts make it appear that Halo Wars 2 will be announced only with time.
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsoft, has made multiple comments about how he’d like to see the RTS series return but only if a good, experienced team was behind it. What do you think about all the buzz for 343 Industries hidden project? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Microsoft Careers
