Installation 01, a fan-made Halo project, has received the green light from Halo developer 343 Industries. In a new blog post, the team behind Installation 01 explains that it has been in contact with 343 Industries, and the company has provided its legal blessing — with the requisite caveats (via Neowin).
The Installation 01 team explains:
Over the past few months, we've shared details of our development plans with 343: our release schedule, planned content, and more. Up until very recently, this was a one-way street, with us sending them information and them thanking us for maintaining contact and keeping them informed. This changed recently. 343 Industries gave us an opportunity to participate in a call with a few company higher-ups to engage in a meet-and-greet and involved discussion about the future of our project. They also gave us an opportunity to ask a lot of questions about the ongoing legal status of the project.We are happy to announce that the outcome of the call was both incredibly informational and very positive! Through these interactions we have been ensured that Installation 01 is not under imminent legal threat, provided we remain non-commercial in nature and scope, and continue to follow Microsoft's Game Content Usage Rules to the letter.
That non-commercial part is the important part; the Installation 01 team states it not only can't sell its game or Halo merchandise, but it also can't ever accept donations. The team is also quick to point out that, while it has received assurance that it isn't in any potential legal trouble (so long as it follows the rules), this isn't meant to be interpreted as a blessing for every Halo project out there.
Installation 01 is currently still under development for Windows, Mac, and Linux using the Unity 5 engine. You can follow along with the game's development at the official website.
