Editing Unreal Engine

{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Wikipedia|Unreal Engine}}
{{Infobox/Engine
|name=Unreal Engine
|image=[[File:UE Logo.svg|250px]]
|othernames=
|developer=[[Wikipedia:Epic Games|Epic Games]]
|entereddev=[[1995]]{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/classic-tools-retrospective-tim-sweeney-on-the-first-version-of-the-unreal-editor|Site=Game Developer|Page=Classic Tools Retrospective: Tim Sweeney on the first version of the Unreal Editor|D=22|M=01|Y=2022}}
|firstuse=''[[Wikipedia:Unreal (1998 video game)|Unreal]]'' (1998)
|latestuse=
}}

The '''Unreal Engine''' is a [[Wikipedia:Game engine|game engine]] maintained by [[Wikipedia:Epic Games|Epic Games]]. It was initially developed for ''[[Wikipedia:Unreal (1998 video game)|Unreal]]'', a [[1998]] [[Wikipedia:Personal computer|PC]] [[first-person shooter]]. It has remained Epic Games' engine of choice since its inception, with games such as ''[[Wikipedia:Gears of War|Gears of War]]'' and more recently ''[[Wikipedia:Fortnite|Fortnite]]'' being built in the engine, but the engine is most notable for its role as a third-party engine available to any game developer, in exchange for a royalty fee, with thousands of games having been built using it, to date.


==Usage in ''Halo'' games==
===Unreal Engine 3===
In [[2013]], prototypes for a [[MEGA Brands]]-themed ''Halo'' game were developed by [[:Wikipedia:N-Space|n-Space]] in conjunction with 343 Industries - codenamed ''[[Haggar]]''. The ''Haggar'' prototype was built in Unreal Engine 3, though the game was ultimately cancelled.{{Ref/Site|Id=Video1|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZB8d11d9go|Site=YouTube|Page=Mega Bloks Halo - Unreleased by N-Space (2013)}}

===Unreal Engine 4===
In [[2019]], alongside the launch of ''[[Halo: Reach]]''{{'}}s port to the game, Unreal Engine 4 (the then-latest version of Unreal Engine) was [[Halo: The Master Chief Collection Content Updates (2019-2021)|introduced]] to ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' to handle the unified UI elements, as the original implementation of the UI was built in a framework that was no longer supported.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/mcc-development-update-may-2019.html|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=MCC Development Update - May 2019|D=21|M=01|Y=2021|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/mcc-development-update-may-2019.html}}

According to video game journalist [[Wikipedia:Jason Schreier|Jason Schreier]], during ''[[Halo Infinite]]''{{'}}s [[Development of Halo Infinite|troubled development]], [[343 Industries]] spent months evaluating a potential migration to Unreal Engine instead of ''Halo''{{'}}s traditional engine, the [[Blam engine]]. This was due to the fact that the two decade-old engine, and in particular a constituent toolset entitled [[Faber (toolset)|Faber]], was incredibly hard to work with and had become fraught with [[Wikipedia:Technical debt|technical debt]], making it difficult to update and improve.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/how-microsoft-s-halo-infinite-went-from-disaster-to-triumph|Site=Bloomberg|Page=How Microsoft’s Halo Infinite Went From Disaster to Triumph|D=21|M=01|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|jasonschreier|1468588967217938434|Jason Schreier|Quote=343's tool set, Faber, was so difficult to use that they spent months considering a switch to Unreal. (They didn't)|D=21|M=01|Y=2022}} Ultimately, 343 chose not to migrate to Unreal, and instead persevered with the [[Blam engine]], creating a significantly overhauled version for ''Halo Infinite'', which they dubbed the [[Slipspace Engine]].

In [[2024#October|October 2024]], 343 Industries rebranded to [[Halo Studios]], and as part of the rebranding announced that the studio was formally transitioning from the use of Blam/Slipspace to Unreal Engine for all future ''Halo'' game projects. Studio Head [[Pierre Hintze]] cited difficulties with maintaining 343 as both a game development and an engine development studio as the reason for this change, with the move to Unreal allowing the entire studio to focus on making better games instead. The announcement was made with the ''[[A New Dawn]]'' trailer showcasing [[Project Foundry]]; a testbed collection of environments made in Unreal 5 to explore the challenges involved in shifting the studio pipeline to a new engine.{{Ref/Site|Id=WP|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/a-new-dawn|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=A New Dawn|D=07|M=10|Y=2024}}{{Ref/Site|Id=Wire|URL=https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/10/06/halo-studios-unreal-engine-interview/|Site=Xbox Wire|Page=Halo Studios: New Name, New Engine, New Games, New Philosophy|D=07|M=10|Y=2024}}

==Games using the Unreal Engine==
The following ''Halo'' games utilise the Unreal Engine:
*''[[Haggar]]'' (2013; cancelled) {{C|Unreal Engine 3}}
*''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' (2014) {{C|Unreal Engine 4; implemented in 2019}}
*''[[Project Contingency]]'' (2021) {{C|Unreal Engine 4; [[Wikipedia:Fangame|fan game]]}}
*''[[Project Foundry]]'' (2024) {{C|Unreal Engine 5}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Navbox/Engines}}