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Halo

Pete Parsons appears in a Destiny livestream.

Bungie Boss Leaves Halo And Destiny Studio After 23 Years

by admin August 22, 2025

Bungie CEO Pete Parsons is leaving after 23 years. Fellow veteran Justin Truman will take over as the storied Halo studio struggles with flagging interest in Destiny 2, the delayed launch of Marathon, and a painful Sony integration following a sky-high $3.6 billion acquisition back in 2022.

“After more than two decades of helping build this incredible studio, establishing the Bungie Foundation, and growing inspiring communities around our work, I have decided to pass the torch,” Parsons wrote in a blog post over on Bungie’s website. “This journey has been the honor of a lifetime. I am deeply proud of the worlds we’ve built together and the millions of players who call them home – and most of all I am privileged by the opportunity to work alongside the incredible minds at Bungie.”

Parsons joined Bungie back in 2002 and was an executive producer on Halo 2. He took over the studio when previous CEO Harold Ryan left in 2016, the year before Destiny 2 shipped. He helped engineer the studio’s exit from a publishing deal with Activision in 2019, and Bungie continued to grow amid near-annual expansions for the hit sci-fi loot shooter.

But things began to change after selling to Sony in 2022. Bungie’s expertise in multiplayer games didn’t stop PlayStation’s live service strategy from quickly going sideways, and the studio suffered mass layoffs in both 2023 and 2024, with key talent departing, including veteran designers Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy, after a Destiny spin-off codenamed Payback was reportedly canceled.

IGN reported that a “soul-crushing” atmosphere among some staff in late 2023, amid the first round of cuts, as Bungie’s independence within Sony began to crumble following the declining fortunes of Destiny 2. Parsons came under fire during the 2024 layoffs after listings for his sports car collection indicated millions in purchases following the lucrative 2022 sale to Sony, even as rank-and-file staff were given pink slips.

“When I was asked to lead Bungie in 2015, my goal was to grow us into a studio capable of creating and sustaining iconic, generation-spanning entertainment,” Parsons wrote in his goodbye post. “We’ve been through so much together: we launched a bold new chapter for Destiny, built an enviable, independent live ops organization capable of creating and publishing its own games, and joined the incredible family at Sony Interactive Entertainment.”

More recently, Bungie has faced an uphill battle with Marathon, the extraction shooter revival of one of its oldest franchises. The game was supposed to come out in September but was indefinitely delayed following a middling reception to a closed alpha earlier this year and a plagiarized art scandal that saw the team forced to overhaul marketing assets, including trailers, to remove elements created by an outside artist.

Truman, a 15-year veteran of Bungie, began working at the studio on the original Destiny. He admitted to some of the studio’s recent fumbles but said it remains committed to “create worlds that inspire friendship.” “I’ve also been part of these efforts at Bungie when we’ve maybe not been at our best,” Truman wrote. “When we’ve stumbled and realized through listening to our community that we had missed the mark. I know I’ve personally learned a lot over the years, as have all of us here, from those conversations.”

He added, “We are hard at work right now doing that–both with Marathon and Destiny. We’re currently heads down, but we’ll have more to show you in both of these worlds later this year.”

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August 22, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

The FPS genre is addicted to sprinting and clambering, but Halo just proved we’re better off without them

by admin June 14, 2025

Whenever I tell friends that I’m still playing Halo Infinite in 2025, the reactions are usually somewhere between confusion and open laughter. No, it’s not dead, and yes, 343 (now Halo Studios) still adds stuff to it—battle passes, the occasional gun, and frequent map packs created by the Forge community.

This week kicked off a Halo 3 nostalgia event, marked by the return of 2007 armor sets and remakes of 11 Halo 3 maps bundled into a special playlist. But the mode doesn’t only turn back the clock on maps, it also recreates the feel of Halo 3—that means no sprint, no clamber, player collision turned on, and jump height increased.

I’ve been playing Halo Infinite with Halo 3 rules nonstop for days, so I’m sure it’s not just the nostalgia talking when I say it’s the most fun I’ve had with Halo since Reach. This slower, more methodical version of Halo is better—it always was, really—and I believe it should serve as the blueprint for Halo’s future.

Subtracting sprinting and mantling restores Halo’s distinct rhythm. With everyone running at the same jogging pace, sticking with teammates takes less effort, vehicles are more valuable, and death has more meaning when you can’t just sprint back into the fight within 10 seconds.

The ramped-down pace has me more focused and aware of my surroundings, so much so that I’m questioning if I ever liked sprinting in the first place, or if it just felt like a feature that’s supposed to be there because it’s an FPS. Just like in Call of Duty, running at full speed with my gun down gets me killed a lot more often than it gets me kills—as such, taking sprint off the table entirely is like Halo slapping the pack of cigarettes out of my hand. What’s the rush?

Above: When maps are built with Halo speed in mind, there’s never a lack of action.

No sprint kicks a nasty habit that never served Halo’s floaty movement in the first place, but no clamber? That’s a real eye-opener. The ability to automatically catch any ledge, another feature that just sorta showed up in Halo 4 because every other shooter had it, shaved off a lot more skill expression in Halo than I realized.

With clambering, jumping from A to B is essentially automatic. Without it, even rudimentary jumps become legit skill checks. You have to learn the ins and outs of Halo’s gravity (turned down in the Halo 3 playlist to mimic the original game) until you can sense the arc of a jump before you take it. Sticky ledge grabs can’t bail you out of an ill-considered leap. This week, I crouch-jumped in Halo for the first time in 15 years, and it was lovely.

(Image credit: 343 Industries)

It’s remarkable how naturally Halo’s weapon sandbox slots into this throwback movement. The version of the playlist with SMG starts instead of battle rifles highlights the benefits of slowing the game back down: Halo is at its best when you spawn with a gun that you’d rather swap for something better. Base Infinite makes closing the distance so easy that you can always make a starter gun work for you, but with no sprint, the MA5K Avenger (Infinite’s version of the SMG) is appropriately situational.

Dang, it’s almost like Bungie knew what it was doing in 2001, 2004, and 2007.

Addition by subtraction. Maybe it was a mistake for Halo to blindly adhere to 2010s FPS movement conventions established by the rise of Call of Duty and Titanfall. I embraced the change at the time, but in our modern era of live service shooters cannibalizing each other for attention, I think Halo has more to gain by being different. In this case, the old really does feel new again.

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June 14, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Kwikset Halo Select review: A smart compromise

by admin June 14, 2025

Legacy lock maker Kwikset has been producing innovative smart locks since 2013, when it released the first touch-to-open lock, the Kwikset Kevo. The company followed that up with the launch of one of the first key-free locks in 2016, one of the earliest Apple HomeKit locks, and one of the first fingerprint-only locks. Kwikset has not shied away from new tech.

Its latest model, the Halo Select ($279.99), is one of the first full-replacement, Matter-over-Thread smart locks. I’ve tested almost every smart lock that Kwikset has made over the years, and this is its best yet. It’s super-responsive with solid features and broad smart home compatibility. It’s just too bad that using Matter means giving up its best feature.

$279

The Good

Excellent auto-unlock function
Choice of Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread
Great design
Discreet door sensor
Can be rekeyed

The Bad

Have to choose between Thread and Kwikset’s auto-unlock
No Home Key or biometric access
Touchscreen shows fingerprints
Prominent Kwikset branding

The Halo Select is a sleek-looking lock that should fit in with both traditional and contemporary door sets, although it has a modern slant. As Kwikset is one of two major residential lock companies (the other being Schlage), you may already have Kwikset locks and handle sets on your outer doors, meaning the Select might fit in with what you already have — something few other smart locks do.

The Halo blends in nicely with a contemporary Kwikset door handle set. But it’s a shame about the prominent branding.

It offers four entry methods: a keyway (which is rekeyable), a touchscreen keypad, app / smart home control, and auto-unlock based on location. The latter worked so well that I didn’t mind the lack of a fingerprint reader or Apple Home Key — normally my two favorite access methods. (Kwikset has teased a Halo Select Plus model with an NFC chip, but it hasn’t said whether that will work with Home Key or the forthcoming Aliro standard.)

One of Halo Select’s standout features is the option to connect to your smart home via Matter-over-Thread. This brings broad smart home compatibility over a local protocol, working with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, and Samsung SmartThings, among others.

The Thread radio brings faster response times than Wi-Fi and significantly longer battery life — almost double based on my testing. There are only a handful of full-replacement, Matter-over-Thread locks available – including the Level Lock Plus, the Eufy E30, U-tec’s Matter lock, and the Yale Assure SL. But the Halo Select is your best option right now.

Kwikset’s auto-unlock feature worked flawlessly in testing

To set it up with Matter, you need a Matter controller and a Thread border router. An Apple TV is both, or you can use a combination, such as an Echo speaker (Matter controller) and an Eero Wi-Fi router (Thread border router). Alternatively, you can connect the lock using its built-in Wi-Fi. This allows it to work with the Kwikset app, as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, via the cloud. You’ll lose the broader compatibility and battery life of Matter-over-Thread, but in exchange, you get one of the Halo Select’s best features: auto unlock.

Auto unlock is a relatively new feature on Kwikset locks. It uses a combination of radios, including GPS and Wi-Fi, to determine where your phone is in relation to your home so it can unlock the door as you approach.

This tech has been used in smart locks for a while — it was first seen on the original August smart lock in 2013 — but each company implements it slightly differently. In most locks I’ve tested with the feature, it’s been unreliable, working only about half the time. However, on the Halo Select, the experience has been flawless, with the door unlocking just as I approach my porch, every time.

1/3The Select in black, there’s also the option of satin nickel.

Specs: Kwikset Halo Select

Price: $279
Style: Full-replacement deadbolt
Connectivity: Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread
Auto-unlock: Yes, using Kwikset app
Access options: Key, keypad, app, voice control
Battery type: Four AA batteries
Battery life: Six to 12 months
Guest codes: Yes, 250
Security rating: BHMA Grade AAA / ANSI Grade 1 (highest rating)
Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Matter (including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings)
Warranty: Lifetime mechanical and finish, 1 year electronics

The Halo Select can also auto-lock based on location. Most smart locks, including the Select, can be set to lock after a set period of time. In practice, this sometimes means your door locks behind you when you pop out to grab something from the car. Kwikset’s location-based lock can be set to not lock until you’ve left the driveway.

The downside is that the Kwikset app has to be running in the background, so if my phone died while I was out, it wouldn’t work unless I remembered to open the Kwikset app after I powered it back on.

A new technology called ultra-wideband unlocking is coming (someday) to solve this problem. It will communicate directly between your phone and the lock, no app required, and could also work with devices like smart watches. In the meantime, Kwikset’s solution is the best I’ve tested.

The other main unlocking option is a touchscreen keypad. While touchscreen keypads can be finicky, the Select’s is super responsive, and I like the clicky feedback it gives. However, I’d like to see better fingerprint resistance, as you can see them at some angles, which could be a security concern.

The Kwikset app, which is simple and easy to use, lets you share up to 250 access codes and choose from temporary, scheduled, or permanent access. I like the new LED lock indicator, which lights up when the keypad does and shows green for unlocked and red for locked. (Yes, I have often found myself accidentally locking an already unlocked door.)

While I like the look of the new Halo Select, I don’t like the prominent Kwikset branding, and I wish the lock itself were smaller; the rear housing is still very big. But the mechanism is much quieter than previous Kwikset locks I’ve tested.

The Halo Select is slim and compact up front, but the rear housing is still very large and chunky.

The Select uses four AA batteries.

Installation and setup were straightforward, thanks to a detailed and easy-to-follow in-app guide. I was impressed with its super slim door sensor that tucks up above the strike plate. This sends an alert via the Kwikset app when the door has been left open and can show you in the app if the door is open or closed when you control it remotely. However, this only works with the Kwikset app. It’d be nice if it showed up as a sensor when the lock is connected in Matter.

The lock has to be set up in the Kwikset app and connected to Wi-Fi, but there is then the option to switch it over to Matter-over-Thread. The app does a good job of making it clear what will happen if you do this — you lose access to the lock in the Kwikset app and can no longer use the auto-unlock feature or access the door sensor to see if the door is open or closed. But it also tells you what you’ll gain. Matter-over-Thread does promise better battery life, plus the ability to add it to Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, and other platforms.

Kwikset does a good job explaining the advantages / disadvantages of using the lock with Matter. Image: Kwikset

I set it up in Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings via Matter with no issues and could control it with routines, automations, and voice commands. As for battery life, it uses four AA batteries that Kwikset says will last six months on Wi-Fi and over a year via Thread.

I tested it for five weeks on Wi-Fi and was at 50 percent, meaning I would get just over three months on Wi-Fi. After three weeks on Thread, it had only dropped 10 percent, an early indication that it should get the promised double battery life.

It’s frustrating to forgo features to use Matter, but this is mostly an issue with Matter, not Kwikset. Matter doesn’t support auto-unlock, door sensing, fingerprint access, or newer entry methods like facial recognition. And while some ecosystems have geofencing automations that can be set to unlock your door, in my testing, they don’t work as well and sometimes require extra steps.

All of this means that, today, choosing a smart lock requires making some compromises. Kwikset’s solution allows you to use some of those more advanced features today while retaining the future-proofing potential of Matter for tomorrow.

Agree to continue: Kwikset Halo Select

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them, since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

To set up the Halo Select, you must download and install the Kwikset app (iOS and Android) and create an account. By doing so, you need to agree to the following (Assa Abloy is Kwikset’s parent company):

The Select can be set up in Matter platforms such as Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings, but it must be set up in the Kwikset app first.

Final tally: three mandatory agreements.

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June 14, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Dataminer Finds Evidence Of Halo Game On The PlayStation Store

by admin June 11, 2025

A Halo dataminer has spotted something on the PlayStation Network API that appears to indicate that a new Halo game might soon be listed on the platform’s PSN store. And it might be announced at a rumored Nintendo Direct later this month.

Long-Lost Halo Demo Comes To Life

Okay, before we continue, I need you all to get your salt out. All of the info in here is based on rumors, dataminer claims, speculation, and reports about possible future games. None of this is confirmed. All of this could be inaccurate. Plans change, server backends are messy, and reports can get details wrong, etc. With all that said, it’s looking like a previously reported Halo remake might soon be officially revealed as a multiplatform title.

On June 9, Grunt API, a Halo community member dedicated to finding and sharing info on the franchise, reported that they have found evidence of a Halo game on Sony’s PSN retail back end.

“I honestly didn’t expect to come across this today… But I can now OFFICIALLY CONFIRM: A Halo game is coming (very soon) to PlayStation,” posted Grunt API on Twitter.

In a follow-up tweet, the dataminer claimed the Halo game isn’t marked as the Master Chief Collection or Halo Infinite. Instead, it’s something new. Many, myself included, are assuming this is the previously reported Halo Combat Evolved remake. Whatever this mystery Halo game is, it currently exists on a specific branch of the PSN backend for retail products. That would seem to imply that a public store page for this new Halo game will be going live very soon. And that then seems to indicate that Microsoft is about to announce whatever this new Halo game is in the near future. You usually don’t get a store page ready to go live on a platform unless you are going to announce it in the near future.

Will the Halo remake be announced at a Nintendo Direct?

That’s led to some speculation that the Halo remake or whatever this game ends up being, might be announced during a heavily expected Nintendo Direct this month. Historically, Nintendo has always done a Direct in June. And it just launched a new console and needs to start talking about upcoming games like Donkey Kong Bananza and future releases for Switch 2. During Summer Game Fest, many games that you would expect to have Switch 2 ports didn’t announce that. This has led to some theorizing that Nintendo wants those ports revealed during its own big Direct, which could be happening later this month. (That might explain why this remake didn’t show up during the Xbox showcase during SGF.)

Keep in mind, we know that Xbox is planning to bring more of its library to other consoles. Forza Horizon 5 and Sea of Thieves are already on PlayStation 5. And the remastered Gears of War is coming to PS5 and Xbox in August. Microsoft has even confirmed that there is no “red line” and that, yes, Halo could come to PlayStation one day.

Of course, the dataminer might be wrong or just trolling. Or the backend project he found is a dummy placeholder. We don’t know yet. Kotaku has contacted Xbox and Sony about the mystery Halo game, but I doubt we’ll hear back from either. For now, we have to wait and see if all the puzzle pieces, rumors, reports, and bread crumbs add up to anything.

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June 11, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Phil Spencer Sets Up Massive 2026 For Xbox With Halo Remaster

by admin June 8, 2025

Image: Xbox / Kotaku

What might have been the biggest news of the Xbox summer showcase didn’t come in the form of a surprise trailer but rather straight from the mouth of Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. While there was no footage to debut, the executive quietly let slip that a new Forza is coming next year as well as the “return of a classic” that’s been with Xbox from the beginning. It’s hard to imagine that’s anything other than the previously reported Halo: Combat Evolved remaster.

Halo’s Joseph Morgan On Playing Nuanced Characters And The Flaws of Season 1

“As we think about bringing a new generation of players to these iconic franchises I’m excited to share that players will get to celebrate 25 years of Xbox with a new Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War: E-Day, and the return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning,” Spencer said near the end of the livestream.

That tiny, innocuous-sounding snippet was full of news. The Gears of War prequel didn’t previously have a release window and the newest Forza hadn’t previously been mentioned at all (will it be Forza Horizon 6 or something else?) But the detail most fans will be glomming onto is the hint at the original Halo’s return.

That game, previously reported by The Verge’s Tom Warren to be a remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved in Unreal Engine 5, will presumably follow in the footsteps of the recent remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which Microsoft shadow-dropped last month. If that ends up being the case, the Halo remaster will likely be the original game running with overhauled graphics and some tweaked systems, though unlike Oblivion, there is already an HD Master Chief Collection players can use to access Bungie’s hit 2001 shooter. We’ll have to wait to learn more to see if Combat Evolved gets a more fundamental reworking to make it stand out on modern platforms.

Whatever it ends up being, it’s almost a guaranteed thing that a Halo remaster will be coming to PlayStation 5 as well, potentially serving as the perfect starting point to bring the iconic Xbox exclusive to Sony’s console for the first time ever.

And while that multiplatform push has left some fans wondering why they bothered buying an Xbox console at all this generation, Spencer’s last-minute sound-bite suggests next year will be full of nostalgia for those who have been with the platform for decades. All of the core, previously exclusive franchises will be there, and playable on Microsoft’s new Xbox-branded ROG Ally PC gaming handheld to boot.

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June 8, 2025 0 comments