OXM rumor: Gearbox developing Halo 4 as launch title for next Xbox

by Christopher Grant on Aug 25th 2008 10:38PM

Remember back in February when Gearbox Software big boss Randy Pitchford teased his studio's next project as something "big"? Well, not just "big" but something that was "even bigger" than anything Gearbox is currently working on? Well, the kids at OXM sure remembered and they sent their spies deep undercover into Gearbox territory and came back with one heck of a rumor for their October issue: Gearbox is working on Halo 4 as a launch title for the next Xbox (NextBox?).

With Bungie admittedly uninterested in creating Halo games ad nauseum, and Gearbox one of the industry's top FPS developers, we've certainly heard crazier rumors. And there are few licenses that would get a studio chieftain to inadvertently slam his own games in development. Whatever the project is, Pitchford has said he'll be directing it himself, adding, "When you find out what this is, you'll likely agree that I can't oversell this one." Nope, you probably couldn't Randy. Overselling Halo is Microsoft's job anyway; you guys just make with the shooting of the aliens ... no, the other aliens.

[Thanks for the tip, Jordan!]

Tags: Gearbox, Gearbox-Software, Halo-4, Randy-Pitchford, Rumor, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (80)

Printing money.

Halo 4?

Didn't almost all the major plot points get tied up in Halo 3?

Ya but then Bungie went: "Were to cool to tie up loose ends!" And gave us the legendary ending.

I'm waiting for the Halo 4 / Spore crossover game.

You know that planet the chief is drifting to at the end of Halo 3? Yep, that's the planet of cock monsters you created in spore.

Would be EPIC

The whole halo universe thing is as big and open as Star Wars.

There's a plot in the halo games?

Ok sarcasm aside, would 90% of the halo fanbase even care what kind of plot halo 4 has? All they have to do is keep rehashing the same multiplayer they've been using since 1 and the idiot masses will slurp it up again.

You are wrong there Jordan, it hasn't been the same game since one and that is the problem. The lead designer for multiplayer in Halo 1 ran off after it's release. The closest thing to a well rounded enjoyable multiplayer experience on the 360 we've had is Shadowrun, and wouldn't you know it, he played a part in it.

The multiplayer in 2 was very different than in 1 actually. The dual wielding dynamic (and the pistol getting nerfed) completely changed the game. Not to mention that the original Halo didn't even have online support over Xbox live, and the difference is almost night and day. For the third installment, Bungie added a fairly full featured map editor, new vehicles, new modes, new weapons, etc.

To say that Halo has been giving the "idiot masses" the same game for generations is...well...misinformed.

Banana note - Halo 1 was the best. By far.

@Anticrawl --

Do you (or anyone else, I guess) have any idea where John Howard is working right now? I know he isn't doing anything Shadowrun related because FASA closed their doors a while back, so what project, if any, is he working on?

He *needs* to design the Halo 4 multiplayer, for the benefit of all of us.

I too would love to see a return to balance like in Halo: CE. I've felt that the multiplayer has been horrifically unbalanced since Halo 2 and would love to see things returned back to the way they were, i.e., those with skills were able to take on anyone, and not just having to sacrifice oneself to the rocket-whoring, nade-spamming masses.

Nope, if you complete the game on legendary, you find that the chief doesn't die, and inadvertently ends up on some planet along with a chunk of his ship, and seeing as we all forgot that the brutes havent gone, i think there's is still a major grudge match/war to mop up.. this is all speculation though.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Fanboy aside, I think there is room for another Halo, especially if it is kept simple with a strong emphasis on the Master Chief. If Microsoft doesn't force this game down everyone's throats, this can sell pretty similar to Halo 3!

It could be a piece of shit in a box. If it has the word 'Halo' on it, it's gonna sell regardless.

Um, I'd hope for it not having MC in it.

Nice! One Halo per console.. that's great! Is this how it's going to be now? One franchise blockbuster per console? I'll have to wait until the next gen to play GTA V, MGS5, Resident Evil 6. Yay!

there have been three Halo games, and only two Xbox systems. your math doesn't add up. expect at least one more GTA and Resident Evil on current gen PS360.

as for Halo 4, well, i personally wish the main series would die. Halo Wars looks interesting though.

I dont get this obsession with GTAV being the next game. The number indicates the engine used. Just like GTAIII had the spinoffs on the same engine, we are likely to see GTA: Such and Such before GTAV. It is more than likely that we wont see GTAV until the next major leap in hardware.

Back on topic. Call me a pesimist, but I dont foresee the next xbox to be a huge leap in power on the competition. Just a hunch.

Let me add it up for you. Yes the first xbox had two halos, however, development times are much longer now and as the article states, Halo 4 will be next gen. Which means 360 only has one Halo. With the nextbox coming out around 2011 there may be quite a few franchises that only get one title out this gen. You think Final Fantasy 14 will be out by then? Resident Evil 6? Hell I'm beginning to wonder if Gran Turismo 5 will even make it out this generation.

I'm just whining about increased development times. Thankfully though, new IP's are just as great as the established ones, and there's plenty of those coming out.

halo 1 one and halo2 2 were both for the original xbox so how how is it a new halo for every xbox?

Really? They want to make more Halos? Why would they ever do that!

/sarcasm

...so when does the new xbox come out? next Christmas? Not exactly sure where they could go beyond whats already been done, besides whats alluded to at the end of H3...

I wonder how long they'll be able to push the Halo franchise until people turn their backs on it. Only time will tell. I also wonder how Gearbox will handle the gameplay compared to Bungie...

Probably as long as Call of Duty games keep getting churned out.

COD 4 was its saving grace and then Treyarch is now dragging us kicking and screaming into WWII again. I mean yeah, Pacific Rim is a change... but WWII is WWII. I want my silencers and full auto SMGs *pout*

Anyway, what was that about Hello 4 or whatever?

if nintendo's and sony's classic franchises are any indication...Master Cheif will be splattering alien guts well into the 2020s, if not longer.

GEARBOX?!

NoooooooooOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOOO!

(See: Halo (PC).)

I agree, it's horrible. I just tried the demo out today again because I felt like it and it was pretty bad.

Gearbox? Infinity Ward should make the game, they would blow Bungie outta the water.

Obie: I think you are under estimating Bungie my friend. They are great developers.

Whatever dude, Gearbox makes some awesome games. The halo port on PC was fine, it was literally halo with a mouse and keyboard. What else do you want? They made a really good half life 1 expansion called opposing force or something, and brothers in arms is very under appreciated.

I think if anyone can do a good halo game that's not Bungie, it's Gearbox.

gearbox would make an alright halo 4, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as good as one made by bungie.........my initial reaction to reading the title of this was if its true f*ck m$ft, i'm gonna smash my 360 and play my ps3 and wii instead

Do it, and post pics.

Don't you think its a bit early to be coming to that conclusion? For all we know this is only a rumor. Come on.

hence why i said it was my initial reaction.. after the first second i came to the conclusion at the beginning of my comment

I didn't have an original Xbox so when Halo 3 came out I got it. It's a good game, but it gets old fast. I probably wouldn't buy another one. Especially since the market is already flooded with shooters.

I played Halo 1 back when the xbox was released and I have to say it was very meh at first.It does get a bit better but no Boss fights, puzzles etc make Halo a dull game making the parts where the Flood attack the best parts of the game,

I think the multiplayer modes are what made Halo 1 good but to be honest I rather have Oddworld Munch’s odyssey than Halo.

Then I played Halo 3 and the Single player campaign was very good if you ask me, I really enjoyed the vehicle sections especially using the Hornet, kinda like Warhawk too bad a mode like warhawk never was implemented.

The multiplayer modes in Halo 3 (Here is where I get downvoted by Halotards) are very bad to the point the best modes for me were Lone wolves and Zombie because you can’t play team matches in Halo because everyone is a complete moron and the rest of the modes are very lame.

Halo 3 was a good game but yeah I don’t think I’ll buy another Bungie game in the future (Especially because the heroic pack was a rip off) but now that this is Gearbox we are talking about I’ll give it a chance.

LMAO! I called this wayyyyy back when! Ck it! :)

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/05/gearbox-working-on-something-big/

I'm gonna make a gutsier call than you and predict that there's going to be an iteration of Mario on the Wii or Nintendo's next console. That's right folks, you heard it first from me.

"LMAO?" Really? You're really, honestly laughing out loud over this?

Kids, stop using "LOL," "LMAO," "ROFL," etc. as online conversation buffers.

Also, as long as I'm at it, "!!!11eleventyone" and "OMGWTFBBQ" called from seven years ago and said they're tired... so very tired.

Party poopers...

:(

Hey, can't say it doesn't make sense. (well... money wise)

It....GOING....TOO.....SUCK!!!!

IT....PROBABLY....WON'T

WOW! I've never been more intrigued AND apathetic about something in my entire life.

Sweet, a marathon remake...

I hope they don't release Halo 4 as a launch title. I hope they give the new system some time so developers can discover the power of the new system and start making games with better graphics etc. I think a Halo 4 a few years after te release of the new Xbox would be way better.

I guess it won't really matter though, I'm sure if it was a launch title it would still be good.

(In another note, I finally got to try my first Halo game. I played some Halo 3 multiplayer at my friends house)

Halo 1 was a XBOX launch title. That turned out allright...(reeking of understatementage)

OMG!!!!!!!!!! When i think about HALO 4, My Pants Get very TIGHT!!! COMBINE THAT WITH GEARS 2, I NEED a TOWL!! Justin Mclroy is a fattttyyyy

2009... Too soon.
2010... I’ll be interested again.

I'm kind of excited to see what a different developer could do with it. It seems to me that HALO 3 just wasn't special like halo 1 or 2. I like the multiplayer a lot but the single player got a little boring and repetitious by following the same Halo script (Aliens! Flood! Warthog Run! Giant Explosion!). I remember playing Halo 1 and 2's campaign over and over until my eyes popped.

It seems kind of ironic that they are doing the Aliens game first. It lets them hone their space marine experience.

Question… Would it still be Halo 4 if it didn’t have Master Chief?

Sean i agree with you. the day i got an xbox360, i played halo #1 nonstop until i beat it. couple days latr, samething with halo 2. Halo 3, samething, but not quite as amazing

"Question… Would it still be Halo 4 if it didn’t have Master Chief?"

Does a bear shit in the woods?

.... I mean.. it's not like we ever got to see his face or anything. They can put random guy X in a space marine suit and it would still be rad. I say go for user customization. They should let us build our own hero and customize the marine suit.

Kind of like in Ice Hockey... when you could pick if you wanted the fat, average or skinny skaters... except for cooler than that.... yeah.

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OXM rumor: Gearbox developing Halo 4 as launch title for next Xbox

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