Many people have a gaming franchise that changed their life in some way. I have life-long friendships that have been formed while playing games like Mario Kart and Golden Eye late into the night. Halo is the franchise that shaped a good portion of my gaming life. Halo 2 strengthened my passion for the franchise through its online multiplayer and the community that was build around it. In a space that could be seen as toxic at times, I was able to build relationships.
Over the years, I have been pulled deeper into the lore through books, comics, tv shows/movies and podcasts. When Halo Infinite was announced, I thought it would be a redemption of a universe that had fallen on hard times but that I had grown to love. Instead, the release was riddled with delays and issues. Many thought that this may be the end of the legendary Master Chief. To the masses, it felt like Halo Infitnite was incomplete and lacked a certain polish compared to the previous titles. The game is in a great space now but I believe that it could have been the start of so much more.
Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) had/has all the tools at their disposal to create something that long-time fans would be excited about. I think this new move to Unreal Engine 5 is a great start but I have a few ideas about what Halo Infinite could have been. Maybe a few of these things could be used in what the studio is creating next.