Working in partnership, with Microsoft and 343 Industries, Halo Online is being developed by Saber Interactive. Halo fans should be familiar with Saber’s work, as the company worked on the single-player campaign aspects of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on the Xbox 360 and Halo 2: Anniversary within Halo: The Master Chief Collection on the Xbox One.

According to reports out of the press conference, Halo Online is set after the events of Halo 3. It is said to support between 4 and 16 players per match. Vehicles will be included, though no word on exactly which ones made the cut.

Over on the official Halo Waypoint site, 343 confirmed that Halo Online is running on a highly modified version of the Halo 3 engine, with optimizations made to target “lower-end PCs.” Halo Online will not have a campaign mode.

343 also published the following Q&A:

Q: What type of game is Halo Online?

A: Halo Online is a free multiplayer-only PC experience that we’re launching as a closed beta test in Russia.

Q: Does Halo Online represent your future plans for the franchise on PC?

A: Halo Online is a learning opportunity for us as we explore ways to welcome new fans to the “Halo” universe. We’re excited to release a “Halo” multiplayer-only PC experience tailored for Russian gamers.

Q: When will Halo Online be available?

A: Halo Online is a learning opportunity for us as we explore ways to welcome new fans to the “Halo” universe. There is no definitive launch date at this time as we proceed in our closed beta period in Russia.

Q: Are you planning on bringing Halo Online to the Xbox One?

A: Halo Online was built from the ground up specifically for the PC. There are no plans to bring Halo Online to the Xbox One.

Q: Will gamers in other regions like North America and Europe be able to play Halo Online?

A: Right now our focus is on learning as much as we can from the closed beta period in Russia. Theoretically, any expansion outside of Russia would have to go through region-specific changes to address player expectations.

Q: Are you planning to officially launch this year?

A: Halo Online is a learning opportunity for us as we explore ways to welcome new fans to the “Halo” universe. There is no definitive launch date at this time as we proceed in our closed beta period in Russia.

Because Halo Online is F2P, the game will likely be supported by microtransactions. What form these transactions will take won’t be known until the game enters its beta period.

As far as playing Halo Online, unless you live in Russia (or have a Russia-based VPN connection) don’t plan on jumping in anytime soon. Halo Online hasn’t been announced for any territories outside of Russia, much like Call of Duty Online, which has remained exclusive to China since its release.