Halo Infinite Won't Have A Battle Royale Mode (But Fans Will Make One)
Ever since the reveal of Halo Infinite, and especially after the announcement that its multiplayer would be free-to-play, fans of the blockbuster Xbox franchise have wondered if a battle royale mode would finally be coming to the Halo. After all, Halo is known for large-scale vehicle combat, which would seem to make it a great fit for a genre known for vehicular mayhem and huge player counts.
Despite it making sense on paper, developer 343 Industries has repeatedly shot down rumors of a Halo Infinite battle royale mode. While the news might be disappointing to fans, there may be a silver-lining: If 343 Industries won't make an official battle royale mode, fans almost certainly will.
Halo fans have long been a creative bunch. Assuming the series' usual Forge custom game-maker mode, which Xbox has said will be "MASSIVELY expanded upon" in Halo Infinite, is in the game at launch, fans will likely quickly take the matter of Halo battle royale into their own hands. Should the mode become popular enough, it could then potentially be officially supported in some way.
Infection, SWAT, and Grifball are iconic Halo game modes, but they didn't always exist as official game types supported by Bungie or 343. They began as custom games made by players, growing in popularity over time until they eventually became officially supported game modes in later Halo games. If Halo Infinite's Forge mode gives players enough freedom, could be the perfect toolkit to craft a Halo Infinite battle royale.
Halo naturally lends itself well to the battle royale genre. Players already scavenge maps for equipment and weapons, and vehicles play a large role in Halo's combat. To fit a battle royale, the scale would simply need to be increased, with larger maps, a higher player count, and an element of randomness in regards to weapon and vehicle spawns.
That being said, while it is confirmed Forge will be returning in Halo Infinite, its exact capabilities are still unknown. Forge creators have always been able to tweak respawn rates, weapon placements, vehicle spawns, and more, so these features, at least, will likely return. Fans have dreamed of players dropping into a battle royale map from orbit, ODST-style. This will likely be too elaborate for Forge, but will creators be able to have players drop into a map in some way? Can Forge be used to randomly spawn weapons and vehicles? What will Halo Infinite's maximum player count be? What is the maximum size for maps created in Forge? These are all important questions when it comes to whether or not battle royale can work in Halo Infinite, and until 343 Industries releases more information regarding Forge, players will simply have to keep speculating.
Even if Forge mode does limit the creation of a full-fledged battle royale mode, it's almost a certainty someone will make one in some capacity. Judging from 343's commitment to adding a custom game browser to Halo: MCC, it seems likely a similar feature could make its way to Halo Infinite. That would make finding matches for a theoretical battle royale even easier and likely boost its popularity.
There's also the possibility a custom-made Halo Infinite battle royale won't be popular at all, but instead some unforeseen, new, player-made game mode. That's the beauty of Forge and the Halo community; players can expect the unexpected. Fans will simply have to wait until Halo Infinite's release this fall to see what's in store.
Halo Infinite arrives for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC in fall 2021.