Halo Studios has reportedly cancelled its multiplayer project codenamed Ekur. According to multiple sources, including the Halo-focused YouTuber Rebs Gaming (video below), development on the title has ceased following a series of setbacks.
Project Ekur was intended as a new Halo multiplayer experience, incorporating large-scale battles and detailed customisation options for Spartans and Elites. The game was linked to Certain Affinity, a studio with a long history of collaboration on Halo projects, including map development for Halo 2 and contributions to Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
The cancellation aligns with a recent period of organisational changes and budget cuts within Xbox Game Studios, though insiders have cited challenges related to the development of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the original Halo Combat Evolved, as a significant factor in shifting resources away from Ekur.
Sources detail that Project Ekur began as a prototype developed on the Unreal Engine, continuing work from an earlier experimental project known as Tatanka that failed to come to fruition. The prototype was approved for further development in September 2023 and considered expanding into an extraction shooter before settling on a concept resembling large-scale team battles, akin to Halo 5’s Warzone mode.
Despite its promising features, including full character customisation for Spartans and Elites and the use of maps from both Tatanka and Halo Infinite’s Slipspace engine, Project Ekur did not progress beyond early development stages. Evidence suggests parts of the game remained on Halo Studios’ servers until recently, but it is unclear if Certain Affinity fully transferred development responsibilities back to Halo Studios.
The cancellation raises questions about the future competitive multiplayer offerings connected to Halo: Campaign Evolved, which launches shortly and currently supports co-op play but lacks traditional multiplayer modes. As of now, no further multiplayer components have been confirmed in relation to the Halo: Campaign Evolved release.
