Rumours suggest that the once mighty Halo series is set for a complete reboot after Halo Infinite fell far short of expectations.
Halo has been Xbox's crown jewel since the first game launched alongside the original Xbox back in 2001. However, 22 years on, the series doesn’t quite have the same prestige it once held, thanks to underwhelming entries on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. But this could be set to change, as Microsoft and Halo developer 343 industries are reportedly planning on a complete overhaul of the series.
A report from Bloomberg states that 343 industries is “all but starting from scratch” on the struggling franchise. This news follows last month’s Microsoft layoffs which saw at least 95 people let go from the studio. Rumours initially suggested that 343 would be taken off the Halo franchise, but they were soon quashed, as the developer assured fans that Halo Infinite is "here to stay".
While Halo Infinite was released to critical acclaim, the game slowly fell off as content was drip-fed to the community. This included components that was expected upon the release of the game, such as co-op for the campaign mode, which finally arrived almost a full year after Halo Infinite’s release.
Infinite Possibilities
Truth be told, a massive overhaul of the Halo series is long overdue at this point. The series hasn’t held the same standing since 343 took over from Bungie in 2012. Bungie moved on to Destiny while Microsoft established 343 to take the helm of a new Halo trilogy, starting with Halo 4. The game was okay, but it never held a candle to Bungie’s greats like Halo 3 and Halo Reach. However, most of us were forgiving of it, as it was 343’s first solo foray into the Halo universe. Then came Halo 5 Guardians, which also fell flat and turned a lot of stalwart fans – including me – off the series.
Halo Infinite came six years later, after a delay which saw it pushed back from being an Xbox Series X|S launch title. The initial gameplay reveal in 2019 caused a stir – the bad kind (we all remember Craig) – and released in 2021 after a spit and polish. It seemed to worth the wait, as the title was a joy to play at launch; for the first time in 11 years, it felt like Halo was back. You don’t need to guess how that ended up; you can just experience the queue times for matches – even for a spot of quick play. When you've got games like Fortnite, which has you playing in seconds, to contend with, it's not really justifiable.
I’m glad to hear that 343 is thinking of doing a Halo reboot. At this point, there’s nothing else it can do if it doesn't want to let the once-dominant series disappear. While we’re likely a few years away from even hearing about the next franchise instalment, it’s already a more exciting prospect than another standard Halo entry. Let’s just hope the series can recapture its place as a flagship Xbox title.
