Moving forward, the Halo franchise appears to be taking a step back and evolving into something new for Xbox users. Following nearly 100 layoffs in 343 Industries and even more across Microsoft, the company will continue to forge ahead as the developers behind one of Microsoft’s largest IPs, but with a few twists, as the team will be shifting to using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine as the franchise’s leadership becomes more unified.

This information comes from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who gave a behind-the-scenes look at what’s been going on since Microsoft’s huge reorganization earlier this year and the numerous speculations that 343 Industries would no longer manage the Halo franchise. Pierre Hintze, the studio leader of 343 Industries, shot down such speculations in a formal statement on his Twitter page.

According to this information, the next Halo game under development, known as the codenamed project Tatanka, will employ this engine. Even before the layoffs and Hintze’s appointment as studio chief at 343 Industries, there were speculations that the Unreal Engine will be utilized in a Halo game.

Fans are excited about the possibility of seeing the Halo series on the Unreal Engine. These discussions were equally important at 343 Industries. These conversations were place within the studio, according to Schreier, and now that Hintze is in control and the team’s engine lead, David Berger, is no longer with the firm, the Unreal Engine might become a reality. However, the Halo Infinite creators have not confirmed that this modification will occur, especially given the widespread concern over the Halo franchise’s future.

The Tatanka project is said to be a battle royale project. The developers may also use this as an opportunity to test the Unreal Engine and evaluate how well it works and how different Halo feels to play as an iconic first-person shooter.

Hopefully, more united leadership will inspire 343 Industries to develop Halo as a whole. Following the initial layoffs earlier this month, some former Halo Infinite developers have criticized the firm, claiming that the Halo series have languished for many years due to inept leadership. If the team can make it to the Unity Engine, it might be Halo’s first good stride forward and an opportunity for creators to regain fans’ faith.