Now here’s some insight that comes straight out of game-development left field: Halo 4 may not only launch with the next Xbox, but it may be developed by Gearbox Software, not Bungie.
That’s right: now that Bungie is no longer a first-party studio, Microsoft may have tapped Gearbox, a respected FPS developer, to create the next game in Bungie’s flagship series.
According to the Official Xbox Magazine, Bungie has long wanted to get away from the Halo series and stretch its creative wings. That opportunity may have presented itself with Halo 4, which is rumored to be a launch title for the next Xbox (Xbox 720? NextBox? HomeStation?).
At this time, the “news” is just a rumor, but with OXM behind it, it’s something to pay attention to. Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford has stated simply that “it is just a rumor,” but the company also did not deny that it’s working on Halo 4.
Shrewd tactic to get attention for his studio, or a derivation of Microsoft’s infamous “it is Microsoft policy not to comment on rumors and speculation”? We’ll let you be the judge.
If true, this rumor puts to rest any and all rumblings that Bungie wanted to announce a darker, grittier Halo game at E3 2008, an announcement that Microsoft then canceled because its E3 press conference was running out of time. After all, if Bungie’s next game isn’t Halo 4, that couldn’t possibly have been the topic of the announcement.
We’ll bring you more information about Halo 4 as it surfaces — especially if it doesn’t involve Bungie. That in itself would be newsworthy.
