The deep dive is scheduled certainly in their next project during the Halo World Championships slated for October 24th. The announcement was made earlier, and now players seem ready to engage in wild speculation as to what this could actually be. When has a deep dive ever meant that a lot gets shown, with all the fine details, rather than just some trailer? Customer expectations are just everywhere.
So, what the heck are Halo Studios? Well, it’s 343 Industries–the team that took over from Bungie for the Halo franchise some years back. There are those in the comments even mixing the name up, which is funny in a way but also means that not everyone is up to speed. The studio’s recent history with its releases has been… well, let’s say chequered. Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo Infinite all had issues that just put certain players over the edge. “I’m a ‘believe it when I see it’ kinda gal; been playing Halo for a long time since when Bungie used to own them back in the day,” one said. And it’s quite a common sentiment within the community today.
Most players reckon the deep dive is for the Halo Combat Evolved remake! Like, an actual next-gen conversion of the first and original title. It was mentioned in multiple replies: “Is it the CE Remake?” and “Probably a Halo Combat Evolved remake & hopefully a tease of the next mainline Halo game.” That would hit the spot especially with the 25th anniversary of Halo CE coming up. Some even put a rumor out that the remake is set to drop on November 26th for the anniversary, though, for now, that is nothing more than hearsay.
But not all are thrilled. A whole raft of rigor went through the comments. “My expectations are as low as possible and I’m ready to be let down again,” read one. Another was a tad explicit; a GIF showed a person putting themselves in a disaster, captioned, “Me walking into another flop by 343.” Ouch. It’s understandable really, the gaming community has reasons to be skeptical after the disastrous launch of Halo Infinite, which some say worked poorly and was buggy at times.
Then, there is the whole platform debate, with tons of replies begging for a PS5 version: “Halo for ps5,” “Halo CE Remake PS5.” It’s interesting, because Halo has been and will always be an Xbox exclusive. But then again, with Microsoft coming forward with some news about bringing some of the games to other platforms, who knows? Maybe they’ll really surprise everybody; But honestly, that does seem pretty far-fetched from the probable. But, a gamer can dream, right?
And there goes the studio reputation. “I think that studio lost whatever good faith they had,” with reference to 343 blocking fans on Reddit and ignoring feedback during Halo Infinite times. Another one replied, “That is because some of those involved in those decisions have departed the studio, so perhaps there is still a chance for a fresh start?” It’s hard to say.
So what could this deep dive really be? Other than the CE remake, discussion circles around the next mainline Halo game, maybe Halo 7? Or maybe a Master Chief Collection release for PS5. The possibilities are endless, but 343 has to come through with something substantial to redeem themselves some from all the faith they’ve lost. Another hopeful says, “It’s a good day when Shinobi is tweeting about Halo 😌 hopefully they show something special.” So there’re still some optimists.
Since the Halo World Championships is a huge esports event, it makes sense to announce such a big project there. That’s when the most hardcore Halo players and fans will be tuned in. Then again, the timing does get at least some criticism, “Hate how MS makes them announce shit where no one will care or see it.” That could be valid, but for the Halo community, that’s the perfect stage.
Not the greatest reflection upon 343s, really. So in that sense, it’s an eclectic mixture. Halo 4 had its shining moments, but then certain circles praised the multiplayer in Halo 5, and Halo Infinite, well, that got better by patches and updates anyway. What remains, however, are the dreadful launches. With all the jarring leadership and restructuring in the studio, maybe this deep dive is 343’s big chance of redemption from all those past mistakes.
Really, whatever it turns out to be, the announcement on October 24 is going to be really big. And whether it will be a remake, a brand-new game, or something else, Halo fans will be watching closely on the aftermath. There’s almost an equal split in the community between hope and skepticism, and we’ll see whether 343 can bask on victories after it’s all over. So, capitalize on your calendar now since this just hit the top spot in the excitement rank of the Halo World Championships! Will this be the comeback story of the year or another letdown? We are yet to see.
