Halo Battle Royale Could Have Been a “Game Changer” Says Former Dev

As a long-time Halo fan who has witnessed two distinct chapters of this iconic franchise, the news about the Battle Royale mode for Halo Infinite being canceled leaves me feeling a tad melancholic. Having worked in game development myself, I can only imagine the passion and dedication that went into creating Project Tatanka at Certain Affinity. If it was as exciting to play as Clopper claims, it could have truly been a “game changer” for Halo.

A former developer at Certain Affinity has said that Halo’s now-canceled Battle Royale mode could have been a “game change for the franchise.”

As I was browsing through my LinkedIn feed (thanks to a heads-up from XboxEra), I stumbled upon some exciting news from Mike Clopper, the Design Director at Raven Software. Previously, he held the position of Game Director at Certain Affinity.

As a devoted fan, I proudly share that I spearheaded an impressive crew of designers, dedicated to crafting a Battle Royale mode for Halo Infinite – a project ultimately shelved. However, the passion and excitement we felt while developing it were unparalleled, and I firmly believe this venture could have revolutionized the Halo franchise. Despite its cancellation, the opportunity to collaborate on such a captivating project remains an indelible experience in my professional journey.

It’s unclear why the Battle Royale mode for Halo Infinite was scrapped, but there have been whispers about this project swirling around for a couple of years now. The codename for this mode was Project Tatanka, and it seems unlikely that we’ll ever get to play it.

At the start of this month, Halo unveiled a significant overhaul, which includes renaming 343 Industries to Halo Studios and transferring the Halo series to Unreal Engine 5.

Essentially, Pierre Hintze, the studio head, explained that when you examine Halo thoroughly, there have been two separate phases: the first was developed by Bungie, and the second by 343 Industries. Now, with an audience eager for more content, we’re not just going to enhance the development process, but we plan to alter the formula of how we create Halo games. In other words, we’re starting a new chapter today.

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