Microsoft shuts down fan-made Halo Online mod

Halo has a dedicated community of modders and content creators, but a few of them skirt the line of legality. The series is owned by Microsoft, and while certain fan creations fit within the company’s content usage guidelines, others unfortunately infringe on the IP. This is what recently happened to “ElDewrito,” a fan-made mod for the cancelled Halo online project meant for PC.

In a post on Halo Waypoint, 343 Industries stated that “Microsoft has initiated actions to protect its Halo intellectual property in the wake of the recent ElDewrito PC release.” Even though Halo Online was cancelled, its assets were never released or authorized for modding. The team said that there’s a misconception that once it was cancelled, the assets were “either turned over as open source or left for the community’s whims as abandonware – neither of which is actually true.”

It’s not the ending the creators of the fan-made mod had anticipated, but there is still hope for Halo on PC in the future. This time in an official capacity.

“As we look ahead, we’re very excited about the prospects of an official classic Halo experience making its way to PC,” read the post. “And we hope to be able to partner with the ElDewrito team and broader mod and content creation community to help inform the types of experiences and features our fans desire. While we have nothing to announce today, please know that the PC community is very important to us and top of mind as we work towards the future.”