Halo Infinite Probably Won't Have a Battle Royale Mode, Thank God

One of the highlights of the Microsoft show at this year’s E3 was the brief and unsatisfying little “teaser” for Halo Unlimited, the next entry in the beloved Halo series. While most people are always happy to see more master Chief, there was a small problem in that people aren’t exactly clear as to what Halo Unlimited actually is. Is it another single-player entry in the series? Is it some kind of MMORPG? Or a Minecraft clone?

It’s anyone’s guess. But there’s one thing that we know for sure it’s not, according to 343 Industries lead writer Jeff Easterling during a 343 Social Stream on Mixer: it will not be, or include, a Battle Royale mode.

"I'll tell you right now, the only 'BR' we're really interested in is 'Battle Rifle'… The original 'BR.' So, calm yourself."

It’s not a hard “no,” of course, and things could always change. Microsoft could butt in and decide to force a Battle Royale mode into the game, or the folks at 343 could just have a change of heart. But it’s encouraging, both because we’ve had just about more BR than we can stand these days, and because I’m not entirely sure what a Halo BR mode would even be. What would you pick up? Shields? Ammo packs? Weapons? I know Halo has a long history of big, epic battles, but Battle Royale games are fundamentally not that: they’re crappy stealth simulators with lots of sitting, waiting, and salvaging. That is the opposite of what Halo is all about, and I’m glad 343 Industries understands that, even if some people don't.

We’ll have to wait till later to know exactly what WILL be coming to Infinite, though. Fingers crossed for some kind of dating simulator with role-playing elements. No, I don’t know how that would work, but thankfully that’s not my job.