Former Forza Horizon creative director Mike Brown has expressed playful interest in making an open world Halo game, suggesting that Xbox could contact him for a pitch built around vehicle heavy gameplay.
Brown discussed the idea during a podcast appearance alongside Maverick Games art director Ben Penrose. The conversation began as a joke about Brown’s love for Halo and his long history with open world driving games, but his comments also showed some genuine enthusiasm for the possibility.
His proposed concept would place a greater emphasis on driving than a traditional Halo game, potentially using a large Halo ring as the setting. The idea even included licensed cars as part of the joke, although no actual project is in development.
Brown is currently leading Maverick Games, the independent studio he founded after leaving Playground Games in 2022. The team is developing Clutch, an open world driving game that will support Xbox Play Anywhere.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Developer | Maverick Games |
| Studio founder | Mike Brown |
| Previous role | Forza Horizon creative director |
| Current project | Clutch |
| Proposed Halo idea | Open world game with a strong driving focus |
| Xbox involvement | None confirmed |
| Development status | Only a joking pitch |
Brown’s idea reflects Halo’s long history with vehicles
Vehicles have been an important part of Halo since the first game.
The Warthog, Ghost, Banshee, Scorpion and Mongoose have all played major roles in campaign missions and multiplayer maps. Some of the series’ most memorable moments involve driving across large battlefields, escaping collapsing environments or coordinating with other players in vehicle combat.
That history makes a vehicle focused Halo spin off easier to imagine than it might initially appear.
A game built around a full Halo ring could combine racing, exploration and combat across different biomes. Players could move through forests, deserts, Forerunner structures and damaged sections of the ring while using familiar vehicles from the series.
Brown’s background would make him an obvious person to discuss such a concept. During his time at Playground Games, he worked on the Forza Horizon series, which became known for large open worlds, accessible driving and varied events.
However, there is no evidence that Xbox has approached Maverick Games or that a Halo driving game is being considered internally.
The comments were mainly a joke rather than an announcement
The discussion should not be treated as confirmation of a new Halo project.
Brown and Penrose were joking about adding cars to Halo, including the possibility of licensed vehicles racing around a ring world. Brown then directly invited Xbox chief Asha Sharma to contact him if she wanted a more serious proposal.
The tone was light, but the invitation suggests he would be interested in discussing the idea.
Independent studios often express interest in established properties, especially when their experience fits a particular type of game. That does not mean a deal is being negotiated.
Maverick Games is also focused on completing Clutch. The success of that project will likely influence whether the studio is trusted with larger external franchises in the future.
Xbox has room to explore more Halo spin offs
Halo has previously expanded beyond first person shooters through games such as Halo Wars and the Spartan Assault series.
Those projects showed that the setting can support strategy and smaller scale action games. A racing or driving focused spin off would be another way to use the franchise without replacing its mainline shooter series.
Xbox owns a large group of characters, vehicles and worlds that could support different types of games. A broader arcade racer featuring several Xbox properties is another possibility, although no such title has been announced.
The company has recently indicated that it wants to place more attention on its strongest franchises, including Halo, Forza and Gears of War. That could lead to more sequels, remakes and spin offs during the next hardware generation.
A smaller experimental game could also help Halo reach players who do not normally play competitive shooters.
Maverick Games must first prove itself with Clutch
Brown’s current priority remains Clutch.
The open world racer is being developed by a team that includes former Playground Games employees. Its driving model, world design and technical performance will provide the clearest evidence of what Maverick Games can achieve as an independent studio.
If Clutch performs well, the team may be in a stronger position to work with larger publishers or licensed franchises.
For now, the open world Halo idea is only an entertaining suggestion from a developer who understands both driving games and Xbox’s history. It is not an official pitch, but the combination of Halo vehicles and a large ring world offers enough potential that the joke may continue to attract attention.
Discussion (0)
Be the first to comment.