Halo is making its return to the PC as a free-to-play game, and it will launch this spring. The downside? It will only be available in Russia.
The game will launch as a closed beta and will likely launch in a far more open fashion and to more users around the world as time goes on.
"Halo Online is powered by a highly-modified version of the Halo 3 engine and optimized for smooth performance on lower-end PCs," said Microsoft on Halo blog, Halo Waypoint.
The game will be multiplayer only and will only include a basic story mode, taking place on a space station called Anvil, where Spartan-IV soldiers will train together through a number of exercises to try and better their skills.
Halo has historically been stuck on the Xbox, however, the first iteration of the game also launched to PC. Since then, we haven't really seen any Halo games for PC, so hopefully for PC users, this move will signal a serious return to PC for the Halo franchise.
The move somewhat parallels what Activision is doing with the Call of Duty franchise. The game developing company recently launched an open beta of Call of Duty Online, which is only available in China. Not only does this allow for game testing, but it also acts as an attempt for the company to create an appeal in the massive Chinese gamer market.
Microsoft only releasing this version of Halo Online in Russia is also seen largely as a ploy to draw in gamers who might be new to the Halo franchise.
Part of the decision to bring the game to Russia only is likely because of the fact that it was in part developed by Russian studio Saber Interactive, which previously had a prominent role in developing Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
"During the Halo Online closed beta, we will continuously adjust and modify gameplay, features and the in-game economy," continued Microsoft. "We're looking forward to getting feedback from gamers living in Russia when Halo Online enters closed beta later this spring via Innova's 4game platform."
While the game is only available in Russia, Microsoft went into the fact that the game could be brought to other regions, but it would have to go through region-specific changes before this could happen.
Microsoft also mentioned that there are no plans yet to bring the game to the Xbox 360 or Xbox One.
