Halo Online is a first person shooter that utilizes the Halo 3 game engine. This project was abandoned by 343 Industries after a closed beta that took place in Russia in the spring of 2015. Since its abandonment Halo Online has been actively developed by the ElDewrito team since 2015. ElDewrito released version 0.6 of the mod on April 20, 2018. This added a ton of new features such as: a functional server browser, player customization, stat tracking, and ranked and social servers, as well as dedicated server and player host options, and map and gametype voting. Upon release of Version 0.6, the game's active player count exploded well into the thousands. This spike in popularity has caught Microsofts attention and they sent out a cease and desist order to the ElDewrito team. The ElDewrito team has complied to Microsoft's demands and have ceased development of the game. Although active development has ceased, the game is still playable due to players being able to host their own servers. Microsoft cant shut it down completely but that can take the download off the web and prevent developers from working on the game. As long as there are players the game will live on one way or another. The original developer 343 Industries posted a response on there website https://www.halowaypoint.com expressing they regret shutting the game down.
“While we are humbled and inspired to see the amount of passion poured into this project, the fact remains that it’s built upon Microsoft-owned assets that were never lawfully released or authorized for this purpose. As this project reverberated across the community, our team took a step back to assess the materials and explore possible avenues, while Microsoft, like any company, has a responsibility to protect its IP, code and trademarks. It’s not optional in other words.
We’d like to clear up a few areas of confusion we’ve seen across the community over the past few days regarding ElDewrito and other fan-made projects. In the case of the original Halo Custom Edition, that was as a specific add-on to Halo PC to officially empower the mod and content creation community to essentially go nuts with Halo: Combat Evolved (it even required a valid Halo PC retail key). More recently, Installation 01 has garnered some buzz and even made headlines for receiving a thumbs-up from 343. Installation 01 is an original work, built from the ground up in a separate engine, that abides by Microsoft’s content usage guidelines. With Halo Online, there’s a common misconception that once it was canceled, the assets were either turned over as “open source” or left for the community’s whims as “abandonware” – neither of which is actually true. Not only did Microsoft issue takedown notices at the time of the original leaks, but many elements of that underlying code and content are still actively being used today and will continue to be in the future.
As Microsoft’s need to protect its IP spun up, we reached out to members of the ElDewrito team to have an open discussion about the project and the admittedly difficult situation we all find ourselves in. The ElDewrito team is understandably upset at this outcome given the time they’ve each invested in this project, but they understand the legal implications and the need to press pause on this work. One thing remains clear – the community really wants more Halo on PC. As we look ahead, we’re very excited about the prospects of an official classic Halo experience making its way to PC and we hope to be able to partner with the ElDewrito team and broader mod and content creation community to help inform the types of experiences and features our fans desire. While we have nothing to announce today, please know that the PC community is very important to us and top of mind as we work towards the future. "
Although things look gloomy for Halo Online in its current form. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Phil Spencer the head of Microsofts Xbox branch posted on his Twitter page and expressed interest in making an official Halo Online.
"This point is important "As we look ahead, we’re very excited about the prospects of an official classic Halo experience making its way to PC and we hope to be able to partner with the ElDewrito team and broader mod and content creation community"
Although Microsoft wants to shutdown Eldewrito's Halo Online. They can't really stop people that have already downloaded it from playing. They have stopped developers from working on the game but its already very playable in its current form and some would argue its close to being a finished product. With Eldewrito's Halo Online already being out and a potential official Halo Online in the future. Things are finally looking up for PC gamers that want a classic Halo experience. With these new options for PC gamers what would you rather play? Eldewritos well polished Halo Online or an official Halo Online developed by 343 industries. Let me know in the comments.
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