CouRage Wants Battle Royale Mode In Halo Infinite
With it being six years since we last had a main series Halo game, it's safe to say we're suitably pumped for the release of Halo Infinite. While 343 Industries' sequel to the critically acclaimed Halo 5: Guardians was supposed to launch alongside the Xbox Series X/S in November, the title sadly didn't release as the console's flagship. As we head toward a sketchy release date of "late 2021", Microsoft is kicking its marketing machine into overdrive.
Although we know the game will continue the story of Master Chief, we're expecting plenty of new features to propel the franchise into the next generation of gaming. 100 Thieves favourite Jack "CouRage" Dunlop is a self-confessed Halo fanatic and has explained why he thinks Halo Infinite needs a battle royale mode. More than just suggesting the introduction of a battle royale mode, CouRage has called out 343 Industries if it doesn't ship the game with his request. You've been warned.
Why does CouRage want a battle royale mode in Halo Infinite?
Posting on Twitter, CouRage told the world, "@Halo I’ve played Halo since 2005. It’s my favorite game series of all-time. If Halo Infinite doesn’t release with a robust and well made Battle Royale game mode, then it will be one of the greatest gaming failures in history. Have a good day". With so much buzz around battle royale games these days, CouRage wants to return to his roots while adding a flair of the modern to Halo. Back in the day, Dunlop first made a name for himself on the pro-Halo scene, and it seems his love of Microsoft's golden goose hasn't run out.
His stoic warning was picked up by several big names from the content creation community. Davis "Hitch" Edwards wrote, "BRs are necessary for shooter games to blow up. just how it is", while Ali "SypherPK" Hassan replied, "COD has adapted so should Halo. You can have both a thriving and successful traditional multiplayer and a Battle Royale mode on top of that". Nick "NICKMERCS" Kolcheff simply added "LOUDER". It's clear that those at the top want a battle royale version of Halo Infinite bundled with the main story, but was anyone really expecting anything less?
From the early days of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds through to the might of Fortnite, we've also seen the battle royale scene boom with Apex Legends and (of course) Call of Duty: Warzone. Even though there are plenty of games that've added a battle royale mode as a little extra, Warzone's explosion onto the scene in 2020 proves that even a series with the legacy of CoD could make a killing by taking a risk with something new. It's a lesson CouRage and the rest are clearly hoping Halo listens to.
Could we see a battle royale mode in Halo Infinite?
Although 343 is playing coy on whether we'll get a Halo Infinite battle royale mode, there are sure to be many more players than just CouRage that will be peeved if it doesn't come with one. Following the disastrous Xbox Games Showcase and the birth of Craig the Brute, 343 went away, delayed Infinite, and promised to deliver a much better game. Considering the team has had so much longer than previously planned, we're hoping a battle royale mode has been a surprise bonus of this extended development time. Then again, we've been disappointed by Halo games before.
But what does the history of Halo Infinite's development tell us? In 2018, 343 Industries' Jeff Easterling told fans (via ResetEra) that Infinite wouldn't be "chasing trends" with a battle royale mode. It was a pretty damning prognosis, but remember that the BR genre was nowhere near what it is in terms of popularity and monetary potential. Adding a battle royale mode to something like Halo Infinite is much more than just tacking it on, and as standalone games like Fortnite and Warzone have shown, they are a truly massive undertaking. If those 343 elves have been busy tinkering behind the scenes, here's hoping a battle royale mode was at the top of their priorities. It's definitely at the top of CouRage's Halo Infinite checklist.
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