Halo on Unreal Engine makes PS5 release much easier sell, claims Digital Foundry

Xbox’s flagship gaming franchise Halo is moving to Unreal Engine, leaving behind its one-and-done Halo Infinite Slipspace Engine for new games. However, the move from the aging BLAM tech to Unreal also means that the series could be developed with ports to PlayStation, or even Nintendo Switch 2, in mind.

Halo on PS5 closer than ever?

In a recent article on Eurogamer, Digital Foundry creator Richard Leadbetter explained that the move for Unreal Engine 5 sets the Halo franchise up for better multi-platform development. With the series already releasing across PC and Xbox, the engine change already makes numerous processes easier, but it also sets the franchise up for even more platforms.

“From a multi-platform game development perspective, moving to Unreal Engine 5 would certainly be easier for the developer than porting across the existing Slipspace engine,” Leadbetter explained. “It stands to reason that an engine designed for deployment across multiple platforms would be easier to work with than existing technology built for Xbox and PC.”

Leadbetter revealed that porting Halo’s previous engine to PlayStation 5 would be a tremendous effort. As a tool designed from the ground up to target Xbox hardware—as similar as it is to PS5—the development process would be very intensive.

“Moving Slipspace to PS5 would be similar to the kind of work many other developers – including those with bespoke game tech – have successfully achieved and I don’t see much in Halo Infinite that couldn’t be achieved on PS5,” Leadbetter said.

Not a confirmation, but a possibility

While Xbox is moving further towards a multi-platform company, there is no concrete fans to bring Halo to PlayStation or Nintendo platforms. Previously exclusive games like Indiana Jones and The Great Circle are making their way to PlayStation shortly after their Xbox release, but games like Forza, Gears and Halo are still entirely locked to Microsoft platforms.

Nevertheless, if Microsoft does decide to bring Halo to PlayStation, which it could realistically do, then the move to Unreal Engine does make that substantially easier. However, this is simply a possibility, although numerous rumours have claimed an upcoming Combat Evolved Remake will release on platforms outside of the Xbox ecosystem.

Multiple Halo games are currently in development at the newly rebranded Halo Studios, alongside new books to continue the video game universe. There will be no third season of the franchise’s maligned TV show.