Microsoft and Xbox just gave this Halo fan game their blessing — it’s Vampire Survivors with Master Chief, and I’m having a blast

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Video games, being the result of creative artistic efforts, often spark creativity in players who then create mods or independent titles based on the original experience. However, to safeguard their intellectual properties, some publishers and developers may issue cease and desist orders. Remarkably, Microsoft, Xbox, and Halo Studios (previously known as 343 Industries) have recently endorsed one such creative project.

This project is known as Spartan Survivors, an unofficial game being crafted by a duo – Juan Guillot “JuanGGZ” Gonzalez and Gaetan Dezeiraud, working under the studio name Bathrobe & Dezeiraud Games. Essentially, it’s a spin-off of the highly popular roguelike Vampire Survivors with a Halo-inspired aesthetic overhaul. Initially launched for free on itch.io in late May, it will receive future updates and is expected to arrive on Xbox, Steam, and mobile devices later in the year.

It was speculated that Microsoft or Halo Studios might ask the Spartan Survivors team to cease operations, but they clarified via a social media post on Tuesday that the developers of Halo have instead approved the continuation of the game.

The developers of Spartan Survivors received approval from Halo Studios to continue working on the game, and as a precautionary measure, they asked us to include a small modification in the legal disclaimer within the game’s credits and store pages. This change will be implemented in our upcoming update, and we express our gratitude to Halo Studios and Microsoft for their understanding and support.

It’s worth mentioning that a member from Halo Studios provided the team with feedback, expressing their delight with the game: “It’s great to see the enthusiasm you and your team have put into this project – it’s truly enjoyable, and we can’t wait to progress further and discover more features.

After spending some time enjoying Spartan Survivors prior to writing this piece, I find myself aligning with that viewpoint. It retains the messy, chaotic, pixel-art appeal of Vampire Survivors, combining randomized upgrades with bullet hell gameplay mechanics. The twist is that instead of vanquishing nighttime creatures using magic and medieval weapons, you’ll be battling Covenant and Flood aliens with classic Halo weaponry.

In this game, you have the option to assume the roles of Master Chief, the Arbiter, or even characters inspired by our community members. Each level in the game is named and influenced by missions from the iconic 2001 Halo: Combat Evolved campaign. Additionally, tracks from the cherished Combat Evolved soundtrack are played throughout the action as well.

The excitement for Spartan Survivors is already sky-high, but it’s about to become even more thrilling soon! In the upcoming update, which should drop towards the end of this month, you can expect fresh in-game loot, formidable boss foes, and a brand new weapon. Additionally, you’ll find bug fixes, user interface enhancements, and special cursors for each weapon to make gameplay smoother.

According to the developers, they intend to primarily work on releasing their roguelike game on Steam and mobile platforms initially, with an Xbox version set for 2025. While there were speculations about a PS5 version, it seems those thoughts might have been humorous exaggerations as a dev kit is needed for such a release and that’s beyond the scope of this small-scale game.

As a tech enthusiast, I can’t help but express my excitement over the fact that Microsoft and Halo Studios are backing this captivating indie game, Spartan Survivors. If you find yourself with some spare time, I wholeheartedly suggest giving it a go! This game shares similarities with poncle’s acclaimed creation that inspired it, and trust me, once you start playing, it’s hard to stop! The best part? It offers compatibility for both keyboard and controller play. Don’t miss out – head over here to experience the fun yourself.

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2025-06-25 00:39