Summary
It’s been a long and tough road forHalo Infinite. Upon its initial launch back in 2021,Halo Infinitewas met with a great deal of praise from both critics and fans, with many citing the game’s multiplayer as a great return to the series' arena shooter roots, and many enjoying the campaign’s attempt to push the franchise in a new direction. But as a live-service game,Halo Infinite’s cracks soon started to show.
Too few multiplayer maps, a disappointing lack of staple modes like Forge and campaign co-op, and an inconsistent post-launch roadmap combined to slowly kill interest inHalo Infinite. Whiledeveloper 343 Industrieshas spent the last few years bringing those requested features to the game, it’s a far cry from whatHalo Infinitewas originally supposed to be, and if things had worked out differently, Xbox could have had its own version ofFortnite.
Halo Infinite Could Have Been Xbox’s Fortnite
Back in July 2020 – immediately followingHalo Infinite’s eagerly-awaited first gameplay reveal – IGN interviewed formerInfinitestudio head Chris Lee. During the interview, Lee referred toHalo Infiniteas “the start of [343’s] platform for the future,” and that the game would mark the “start of the next ten years for Halo.” Lee doubled down on this plan, stating that “numbered"Halotitles wouldn’t be happening again for a while. Despite repeatedly affirming thatHalo Infinitewas not a live-service game, 343 Industries' comments at the time suggested the exact opposite, and if all went to plan, thenHalo Infinitecould have been in the same boat asFortniteby now.
Halo Infinite Could Have Been a Platform Like Fortnite
Though 343 Industries never gave any concrete details related to its 10-year plan forHalo Infinite, it seems safe to assume that it would have involved an even greater amount of post-launch support than the game ended up receiving. On top of additions like campaign co-op, new maps, new weapons, and new cosmetics,Halo Infinite’s 10-year planprobably would have included more story content for the game and more drastic changes for its multiplayer mode, evolving the title’s gameplay and visuals over time.
ButHalo Infinite’s 10-year plan could have really set the world on fire if it took a page out ofFortnite’s playbook. In the last few years,Fortnitehas become an entire gaming platform in its own right. What began as just a simple PvE horde game quickly turned into the biggest battle royale on the planet, and with the addition ofCreative mode,Fortnitebecame an exponentially bigger title, giving players the tools to create their own smaller-scale games insideFortniteitself. And that was only the beginning.
Last year,Fortniteadded the kart racer Rocket Racing, theRock Band-like Fortnite Festival, and the survival mode LEGO Fortnite to its ever-growing platform. Each mode is essentially its own standalone game, offering tens of hours of content completely for free. In an alternate universe,Halo Infinitecould have been a platform likeFortnite, with its own Flood-based horde mode, its own Creative mode with Forge, and even its own LEGO Fortnite mode with aHaloMega Bloks tie-in.
