Halo Infinite, the highly anticipated continuation of the popular Xbox exclusive franchise, is rumored to be the most expensive project ever in the history of the video game industry.
The budget set by Microsoft and 343 Industries for Halo Infinite is reportedly more than $500 million, according to German website Xbox Dynasty. This would make it the most expensive video game ever produced, though it should be noted that the amount is said to only be for its development, and does not yet include marketing costs.
With that budget, Halo Infinite will cost more than Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 by Rockstar Games, which is well-known for investing a significant amount of money into its projects. Even the most expensive shooters so far, such as Destiny and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, did not exceed $300 million budgets.
Xbox Dynasty does not provide proof to back up its claim, nor does it have a track record of rumors that turn out to be true. This means that the report should be taken with a grain of salt, but even when the $500 million amount is taken off the table, Microsoft investing significantly into the development of Halo Infinite makes sense.
Halo Infinite was announced at E3 2018 as the sixth major entry in the series through a teaser that gave a glimpse of Master Chief’s iconic helmet. It was being created with the new Slipspace Engine, which was designed in-house for future games in the franchise.
343 Industries head Bonnie Ross said in an interview last month that the studio refers to Halo Infinite as a “spiritual reboot” of the franchise, adding that game director Chris Lee will reveal more details about it at E3 2019. Its upcoming presence at the annual showcase coincides with previous reports that the game will be a launch title for the next-generation Xbox consoles, which will reportedly be unveiled at the event.
Due to the importance of Halo Infinite, Xbox Dynasty’s claim that Microsoft gave 343 Industries half a billion dollars to make the game is possible. Unfortunately, until Microsoft itself reveals it, Halo fans can only hope that this rumor is true, so that Halo Infinite will live up — and perhaps even exceed — such high expectations.
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