It’s been said many times before, but Halo is at a crossroads. Halo Infinite made a splash, but it didn’t catch the interest of the community long-term, and support phased out. Now, other than a remake of the original game, we’re waiting to see what the future of the Halo series will be.
There are a number of options, as Halo has hosted many spinoffs in the past. Notably, Halo Wars and Spartan Assault brought the franchise into RTS and twin-stick shooter territory, respectively, but there are also numerous non-Master-Chief-centered traditional shooters as well. Given the sci-fi setting, the possibilities are endless. If the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake does well, we could see others follow suit.
For now, though, we have an idea of what direction Xbox will head in next. Based on a new report on YouTube, Microsoft could be heading in a drastically different direction for the Halo series (via Windows Central).
According to leaker Mr. Rebs, Microsoft is moving away from its unannounced battle royale version of Halo. Codenamed “Tatanka,” this was allegedly a battle royale mode that utilized a now-defunct engine called Slipspace. Mr. Rebs alleges that the battle royale Halo project was eventually abandoned due to a variety of factors (including how crowded the genre was).
Now, Halo steward 343 Industries is apparently focusing on Project Eker, an extraction shooter in the same line as Arc Raiders and a number of other popular games of the past several years. Here’s where things become less clear. It’s unknown at the moment whether this game will be Halo 7 (or a mode within it) or a separate project,paving the way for more mainline entries.
If Microsoft and 343 Industries are able to get a theoretical Halo extraction shooter out in a reasonable amount of time, they may have a shot at capitalizing on the popularity of the genre. There are several games running concurrently right now, including Arc Raiders, but there is plenty of room for another one, especially with a strong IP.
What the studio will need to do is keep it updated, and give players thematic and interesting sandboxes to roam around in. If they wield the power of the Halo IP, they could bring back older fans who have lapsed since the original trilogy.
For now, all eyes are on Microsoft, waiting to see what the next Halo is going to be. If it is an extraction shooter, there are many ways they could make it distinctly Halo and set themselves apart from the pack. They’ll need to support it, though, as extraction shooter fans are in it for the long haul.
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First-Person Shooter
T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
Xbox Game Studios
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S