Xbox reportedly declined pitches for around 30 new Halo games, leading fans to believe the company has squandered the potential of the series entirely.
Once Halo was the king of first-person shooters and the killer app for Xbox consoles. Boasting tight gameplay, compelling stories and a fantastic multiplayer offering, the OG trilogy and spin-offs Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach were truly the golden age of the franchise.
All of the original titles can be played via the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which you can see below
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Since 343 Industries took over fans believe the series has seen a dramatic dip in quality. Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians and Halo: Infinite all failed to impress as much as Bungie’s offering, though it’s now believed the studio pitched several Halo spin-off titles to Microsoft, only to have them all rejected.
This comes from former 343 Industries Senior/Lead Designer Kevin Schmitt who said “We must have pitched 20-30 game ideas over the 12 years I was there that would have totally worked in the Halo universe. Many SP & MP ODST themed ones. Some galaxy-spanning, some more intimate…and one that was really dark.”
No further details were shared, but it felt like a real kick in the teeth for fans who’ve been dying for another Halo ODST game, and other spin-offs set in the same universe.
Fans on Reddit were thoroughly disappointed, with one saying: “343 cannot even get a mainline halo game right, let alone a spin off. They may have been good ideas but the team at the time just was not talented enough to see it through.”
Another added: “That Last bit. I wonder if it was the ‘play as a marine during a flood infection’ game of my dreams.”
Then another fan said: “Yet they chose the dumbest options. Twice”
It’s clear the Halo franchise is in desperate need of a revival. If the mainline games just aren’t cutting it for fans anymore maybe it’s time 343 Industries and Microsoft finally got to work on some spin-offs to get fans hyped again.
Topics: Halo, Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X