No plans for PC version of Halo 3, says Microsoft

There has recently been a lot of speculation on the possibility of Halo 3 making its way to PCs. According to Eurogamer, Microsoft has announced to the contrary; the game will not be making its way outside of its Xbox 360 home. “We currently do not have plans to release any Halo titles on Steam, nor do we currently have plans to release a PC version of Halo 3,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer.

The rumours had started because of a listing in the Steam database for Halo 2 and Halo 3. AMD’s latest beta drivers further sparked speculation as they turned out to include an entry for Halo 3. So far, the only games in the series to have been ported to the PC have been Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. Every game after that has been exclusive to the Xbox 360.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

Halo 3 may or may not make it to the PC

The latest game in the series, Halo 4, was released for the Xbox 360 back in November. The game was released in two flavours – the standard edition for Rs 3,299 and the limited edition for Rs 4,599.

Developer 343 Industries has since moved on to the next game in the franchise. Frank O’Connor, the Franchise Development Director for Halo, told CVG that the company had already reallocated its teams to work on the next Halo project back in December.

Connor said, “A lot of people at 343 are already prototyping ideas and software and art for future Halo products. I can’t say more than that, but work on the game started actually before we launched Halo 4 and continues apace as we cycle staff through the team’s vacation breaks. We’re excited about the next game.”

Though there’s been no confirmation if this will be Halo 5, Microsoft has already stated that the new Halo games developed by 343 are going to be part of a new trilogy. 343, on the other hand, is working on the DLC and Spartan Ops episodes.

Developed by 343 Industries, Halo 4 marks the dawn of a new game series, the Reclaimer Saga, centred on the Master Chief as he  faces an ancient evil and a deadly new class of technologically advanced foes — the Prometheans. Master Chief sets out on an emotional journey fraught with personal demons and the most daunting challenges he’s ever faced. Featuring a darker and more personal story that reintroduces the iconic hero as a genuinely human character, Halo 4 sets players on a sci-fi voyage that will span the next decade of Halo games, across a three part trilogy.

Halo 4’s multiplayer offering through War Games will take place on the Spartan training ship Infinity and will tie into the game’s story. Halo 4 will come shipped with Forge toolset, the in-game map builder further enhanced from Halo 3. Allowing players to design their own multiplayer maps, the Forge toolset with three unique environments has the ability to alter any current and future War Games map.