Halo Infinite may include a battle royale mode after all, if a datamined file from its technical preview is to be believed.
The file in question is a voice clip, featuring what sounds like the series’ famous announcer saying “battle royale.” The audio clip appears to be what a player would hear at the start of a match, just like Slayer or Capture the Flag. This clip was first discovered on ResetEra and was relayed by Video Games Chronicle.
While this mode has not yet been confirmed by developer 343 Industries, Halo Infinite already has many of the ingredients that many similar battle royale games have. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer pillar will be free to play, and it will feature a battle pass model, just like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends.
Rumors about a potential battle royale mode being included in Halo Infinite began swirling as early as 2019, but at the time, 343 Industries denied these claims.
In regards to whether Halo Infinite will include a battle royale mode, development director Frank O’Conner said “We are NOT doing this as of now — and no plans to — but Battle Royale could be made for any of the Halo games in MCC or 5 with some content and scripting additions, because it is a mode.”
This statement was made in 2019, though, so things could have changed since then. The battle royale business model has been lucrative for many studios, and considering Halo Infinite already has similar features in place, it could make for a likely fit.
Halo Infinite is scheduled to launch for Xbox and PC during the holiday 2021 season.
