RUMOR Gearbox working on Halo 4, coming to the new next gen Xbox

[HD Halo X]

They made Brothers in Arms and did the Halo PC port. They also did some work on Half life and Counter-Strike.
So it sounds like they know what they are doing.

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.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/25/ox...e-for-next-xb/

Following up on yesterday's rumor out of OXM that Gearbox may be handling Halo 4, Variety's Ben Fritz reports that his source close to the dev confirms that it "has definitely had conversations with Microsoft about doing a new Halo game and is very excited at the prospect," but that "there was no deal in place." For those who might not remember, Gearbox has a history with the Halo franchise, having handled the PC version of the original game.

Fritz reckons it's "quite possible" Gearbox will helm a new Halo project ... it's just "not a certainty yet." If it happens, that would make at least four Halo-related titles in the works: Halo Wars; the Halo game that Bungie was supposed to reveal at E3; Peter Jackson's interactive take on the Halo universe; and whatever Gearbox may or may not be crafting. Given that OXM's rumor regarding Halo 4 as a launch title for 360's successor (if there even is one), we should expect to hear something official either way in, oh, the next year or two.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/va...out-halo-game/

[twonunpackmule]

Opposing force was amazing!!!

I'm a fan of Gearbox. However, I hope they are doing the Arbiter spinoff. I like Keith David...and I felt his story was more interesting and he got the short stick in Halo 3.

Gearbox is really good at the side stuff.

[crazzeto]

If this is the case it sure as hell be better than the Halo 1 PC port, that was a disaster.

[twonunpackmule]

Originally Posted by crazzeto

If this is the case it sure as hell be better than the Halo 1 PC port, that was a disaster.

Not with the Patch.

They were gripped by the balls from MS. They weren't allowed to do a lot of things with the game. That's why they released the CE Patch.

[Biosynthnut]

I would see the Arbitor story arc if only that he ends up rescuing MasterChief. For someone to help save a galaxy only to sleep it off... granted all spartans are never listed as KIA only MIA....but to bring him back... would be kinda cool. Since he would have been the only one to return.

Grey team would be the only other team that was lost, and you have blue team on Onyx in the disonsphere.... all MIA... So I could several games with them..possibly?

Just cause Truth and Gravemind are dead doesn't mean the war is over.

[crazzeto]

Originally Posted by Biosynthnut

I would see the Arbitor story arc if only that he ends up rescuing MasterChief. For someone to help save a galaxy only to sleep it off... granted all spartans are never listed as KIA only MIA....but to bring him back... would be kinda cool. Since he would have been the only one to return.

Grey team would be the only other team that was lost, and you have blue team on Onyx in the disonsphere.... all MIA... So I could several games with them..possibly?

Just cause Truth and Gravemind are dead doesn't mean the war is over.

Not sure if you read the books, but there's at least a squad of Spartan II's alive and some Spartan III's alive as well.

[Snadinator]

Makes me wonder what Bungee's Halo project is.

[crazzeto]

If these are all for "720" it makes me wonder exactly how close to "720" we are.

[Master X]

Originally Posted by crazzeto

If these are all for "720" it makes me wonder exactly how close to "720" we are.

2011 imo.

[aaronwt]

November 2010.

[crazzeto]

Originally Posted by aaronwt

November 2010.

Hmm, that gives the 360 5 years on the market? Given the design flaws (re RROD) not bad, and considering this is what, microsofts first ever attempt at in house CE design? Honestly I think the HW inside the unit actually has longer legs than that, but then again if they update early they can keep the platform from looking dreadfully out of date compared to PC graphics as happend with the PS2 and (to a lesser degree) the original x-box.

[twonunpackmule]

Originally Posted by crazzeto

Hmm, that gives the 360 5 years on the market? Given the design flaws (re RROD) not bad, and considering this is what, microsofts first ever attempt at in house CE design? Honestly I think the HW inside the unit actually has longer legs than that, but then again if they update early they can keep the platform from looking dreadfully out of date compared to PC graphics as happend with the PS2 and (to a lesser degree) the original x-box.

The original Xbox killed itself with low memory. It didn't have enough, and that was a massive bottleneck.

Honestly, these next batch of systems need more then just 512mb. I'd say anything less then 2gb at this point is too little.

[crazzeto]

Originally Posted by twonunpackmule

The original Xbox killed itself with low memory. It didn't have enough, and that was a massive bottleneck.

Honestly, these next batch of systems need more then just 512mb. I'd say anything less then 2gb at this point is too little.

Yet still some amazing looking games for that generation were built around the original x-box.... I'm not saying more memory isn't desirable, bigger = better with gaming memory configs... But still, clearly devs found a way to work with it, and the original x-box pretty much always outshined the PS2 (as did the NGC for that matter).

For the future of gaming... Hard to say, I want to knee jerk and agree with you about 2GB but the fact is devs are managing to do quite a lot with quite a bit less... 1GB would probably work pretty well... If they can throw in 2 with out making the cost of the unit insane that would rock....

Remember they aren't nessesarly using std PC memory in these units, you can go with faster more speacialized memory.

[twonunpackmule]

Originally Posted by crazzeto

Yet still some amazing looking games for that generation were built around the original x-box.... I'm not saying more memory isn't desirable, bigger = better with gaming memory configs... But still, clearly devs found a way to work with it, and the original x-box pretty much always outshined the PS2 (as did the NGC for that matter).

For the future of gaming... Hard to say, I want to knee jerk and agree with you about 2GB but the fact is devs are managing to do quite a lot with quite a bit less... 1GB would probably work pretty well... If they can throw in 2 with out making the cost of the unit insane that would rock....

Remember they aren't nessesarly using std PC memory in these units, you can go with faster more speacialized memory.

Ram is possibly the cheapest thing to include.

Anyway, the Xbox killed itself towards the end with it. It needed more RAM. It wasn't balanced properly, and Halo 2 showed us that. If the system included more ram Halo 2 would have been smoother graphically.

The Xbox was extremely front ended with it's "graphic showcases" IMHO. The best stuff came out early, and towards the end become less impressive. This is partially to do with the fact that the devs hit a wall pretty early, because of the memory bottleneck.

There was something written about the Xbox and this issue. I'll try to find it.

I'm a firm believer that the next batch of systems need to have 2gb. That's pretty much the PC standard now...just imagine what the standard will be in 2010 or 2011!!!

[Master X]

Splinter Cell CT, Ninja Gaiden, Doom 3 all looked great.