Halo Studios has reportedly canceled its multiplayer project, codenamed Ekur, a move that appears to coincide with broader layoffs at Xbox announced last week. The news was first reported by Halo reporter Rebs Gaming, who cited multiple sources within Halo Studios, and was later corroborated by Windows Central reporter Jez Corden.
Earlier reports indicated that Project Ekur was slated to be the next multiplayer offering in the Halo franchise. However, recent developments have led to its cancellation. While Rebs Gaming did not directly link the cancellation to the Xbox cuts, the report suggested "major development problems" with the Halo 1 remake, Halo: Campaign Evolved, may have diverted resources and personnel, ultimately leading to Ekur's demise.
Project Ekur was reportedly prototyped by Certain Affinity, a studio with a long-standing relationship with Xbox, having contributed to multiple Halo titles including Halo 2 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This project emerged after an Unreal Engine-powered Halo battle royale experiment, codenamed Tatanka, did not materialize. Ekur was intended to continue utilizing the Unreal Engine, similar to Halo: Campaign Evolved, and was planned to incorporate Tatanka's map alongside elements from Halo Infinite's Slipspace map.
The prototype for Project Ekur received a green light in September 2023, according to Rebs Gaming. Initial concepts explored an extraction shooter before settling on a "super big-team-battle idea," reminiscent of Halo 5's Warzone mode. The project was envisioned to feature playable Spartans and Elites with full character customization.
It remains unclear whether Certain Affinity transitioned the project to Halo Studios or if it remained with the external developer. However, evidence of the game's existence has been found on Halo Studios' servers by data miners and observers in the recent past.
The reported cancellation of Project Ekur raises questions about the availability of competitive multiplayer modes for Halo: Campaign Evolved, which is set to launch in the coming weeks. The remake currently features co-op campaign gameplay, but no multiplayer component has been announced.