- Halo moving the direction of Extraction Shooter being inspired by Tarkov.
- Previous plans of Battle Royale may get scrapped.
- Will this shift from Battle Royale to Extraction Shooter revive back Halo.
With Extraction Shooter become the new popular genre in gaming and overshadowing the Battle Royale genre, which once dominated the market and every company wanted a piece of it by making their own version of Battle Royale. Now Halo leans to move in that direction too.
Halo’s Previous Battle Royale Startegy
The next installment of the Halo franchise has been spun in so many directions that Master Chief’s helmet has nearly screwed itself off. Having always been a sci-fi shooter title that operates mainly in the standard team-on-team formula, the franchise has been trying to escape the pigeonhole it has found itself stuck in. Following the reasonable success of Infinite, the next game was originally planned to break free from the two-teamed shackles and capitalise on the Battle Royale genre that was booming due to Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends.
One of the intended plans for 2021’s Halo Infinite was to have a free-to-play battle royale mode. Sadly, that mode was scrapped with the developers’ focus at Halo Studios on the more traditional free-to-play multiplayer offering. However, one of the best modes in Halo Infinite is Forge, a creative suite that originally made its debut in 2007 with Halo 3.
Reports Claim The Next Game Will Be A Tarkov Like Extraction Game
Pivoting in the Escape From Tarkov direction and going all-in as an extraction shooter. Much like how Rainbow Six attacked a new extraction formula to show it isn’t the one-dimensional tactical shooter people think it is, reports suggest that the Studios is using the blueprints of its scrapped battle royale to create its new title. According to the renowned leaker Rebs Gaming, ‘Project Tatanka’ – the battle royale codename – was shelved back in 2022 as the developers faced internal turmoil with its live-service support for Infinite. But, this has now reportedly been resurrected into ‘Project Ekur’, which is to be a PvE extraction shooter built on Unreal Engine.
They claim that the new game is being developed on the same large-scale landscape as the BR, featuring smaller remastered multiplayer maps like Blood Gulch and Valhalla, and Seeing the recent success of Arc Raiders and Marathon, and how Tarkov has thrived for years with a devoted player base, it’s clear to see why the Studios would target this sandbox craze. Rebs report claimed that it could either be a standalone title, or be absorbed into the next mainline game.
Would A Halo Extraction Shooter Revive The Franchise?
As a long-time fan of the Halo experience, I was never captured by the prospect of a battle royale. By the time it would have been released, the BR experience was oversaturated, and while it would have been cool to experience using the Halo movement and weaponry in a large-scale warfare map, it would have faced the same longevity problem that the franchise has always struggled with. And, to be fair, it was a blast playing the community project made through Halo 3’s Forge.
Retrospectively, it was the right decision to scrap the battle royale. However, an extraction shooter sounds like the natural succession for the series and the perfect pivot. Being able to enjoy the Halo world in its fullest form, including iconic locations, while operating against the environmental and online enemies, is exactly the notion that whets my appetite. It’s not the usual two-team blowout, but rather a deeper step into Halo’s universe, and we’re here for it.
You may also like to read: Battlefield Film To Feature Michael B. Jordan And Christopher McQuarrie; More Early Development Updates
