Insider Gamer’s Loop

There have been no shortage of rumors speculating on Bungie’s next project, the most popular being the release of another Halo game. And while the Halo series is sure to continue through games like Halo Wars (Ensemble Studios) and Halo: Chronicles (Peter Jackson/Wingnut Interactive), Bungie says they’re currently working on multiple projects, including entirely new intellectual property, and… well, read on to get a better idea.

Damian Isla, Bungie’s Lead AI Programmer, was recently interviewed by GamesIndustry, and was asked about Bungie’s ability to start developing new IP.

He had this to say:

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No, I’m not that worried about it. We have a bunch of projects going on right now - not all of them are Halo. We are actively developing new IP right now, new gameplay, new types of games. We’re not done necessarily with the Halo universe but there are members of the team who have been working on Halo for 10 years, all of them have a backlog of ideas that were just not right for the Halo universe.

We have some of our more senior art guys who came on in the Myth days and have been storing away all their various Myth-related ideas. A lot of ideas, a lot of concept drawings, a lot of stories that we would have loved to tell but just wouldn’t fit into the Halo world. The thought of taking all those old ideas out and dusting them off and seeing what can actually be done with them has been a very, very fun process.
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[insert opinion here]

The first part of that, while exciting to hear, doesn’t surprise us. Confirming new IP? Check. New gameplay and genres? Check. Noting not “all of them are Halo” in a way to slightly hint some of them are Halo? Check. Describing a strong desire and creative inclination to delve back into the Myth series. Che-

Wait, what?

When he said they have a ten year backlog of ideas that wouldn’t fit into the Halo universe, I get that, that could mean anything. But when he specifically mentions “Myth-related ideas” and further notes them as “a lot” I get the feeling this is something a bit more exact. Maybe we’re reading too much into this, but we doubt it. Isla specifically notes a lot of ideas related to Myth, including stories, and concept drawings. That’s not exactly an announcement trailer, but it’s substantial enough to take note of.

Bungie’s Damian Isla [GamesIndustry]

- Microsoft Says Bungie is Working on a New Halo Game...