Free-To-Play Halo Online Has Been Canceled

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After several months of testing, the free-to-play, Russia-exclusive Halo game, Halo Online, has been canceled. Players who have spent money on the game in recent times can get said money back if they request it by August 30th.

According to the announcement, the reason for the shut down is as follows.

We told you that the break is temporary and soon the game starts again. Like you, we are waiting for news from Halo Online developers and hoping for an early announcement. But over the past six months, our colleagues from Microsoft and failed to take decisions on the future of the project. Now we know only one thing - the current form of the game will not be released.

Developed as a joint venture between 343 Industries and Saber Interactive, the game previously ran in both Alpha and Beta forms through 4Game. The game has allegedly been offline since December, when the servers were taken offline for an update that never happened.

Despite the fact that Halo Online will not be coming back online, those who are interested can find a similar experience in ElDewrito, which aims to bring the Halo Online experience to Halo fans worldwide.

Matt's Take:

Considering Microsoft had made an unsuccessful effort to shut down the ElDewrito version of Halo Online, one has to wonder if it is the reason that Microsoft had issues deciding the future of the game. Regardless, the game will continue to exist in a form that is available internationally—rather than just in Russia—for the foreseeable future, which is more than can be said for many free-to-play titles that have been shut down.

Halo Online - Announcement Trailer