Halo Infinite won't have a battle royale mode

By Matt Brown
last updated

For better or worse, Halo Infinite seemingly won't feature the last-man-standing mode.

Microsoft's annual E3 2018 press briefing surfaced countless Xbox One announcements but the highly-anticipated Halo Infinite stole the show. As the next mainline chapter in the Master Chief's adventures, the game is expected to further explore the relationship between the super soldier and his AI companion, Cortana. Its E3 presence may have focused on its in-house Slipspace Engine, though we're already starting to uncover more about the game itself.

One of the hottest trends in the industry right now is battle royale – an increasingly popular mode where dozens of players fight for survival in competitive last-man-standing gameplay. While the initial success of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) can be attributed to its boom, Fortnite now dominates the genre – with other major franchises hopping on the trend.

Halo 5: Guardians

Halo 5: Guardians (Image credit: Microsoft)

Speaking on its weekly Social Stream, 343 Industries writer, Jeff Easterling, touched on the team's viewpoint for battle royale – and whether the mode will feature in Halo Infinite. Responding to fans, Easterling stated "the only BR we're really interested in is Battle Rifle... the original BR. So, calm yourself."

Without a battle royale mode seemingly in the works, it appears 343 Industries is skipping out on this industry trend. Major shooter franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield are set to debut last-man-standing modes this fall, among a wave of competition. Especially with Halo Infinite expected between 2019 and 2020, the battle royale landscape may have drastically changed.

Would you like to see battle royale in Halo Infinite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Halo Infinite: Everything We Know

Matt Brown
Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.

16 Comments
  • Battle Royale should be left to fortnite. While they may have copied PUBG to an extent, they've made it their own. There's a reason people continue to play it.
  • They copied PUBG to every extent, there's no other possible analysis.
    Also, people play it because it's free.
  • Because that totally explains why fornite players s buy the battle pass by the boat load and other content. The PUBG clone argument may have applied maybe a year ago in the beginning but it's differentiated itself so much that they in no way feel alike. Besides, I don't hear H1Z1 comparisons to PUBG
  • I don't want every game to have "battle royale". For that, I have PUBG.
  • Good.
  • Good. I hope they're dedicating their resources to making a high quality classic Halo campaign and multiplayer.
  • Good, besides how is it really all that different than a Slayer match.
  • The fact that something is a "hot trend" does not mean it should be blindly followed. Where would another battle royale mode fit anyway? Good that they are skipping it, maybe Halo Infinity will have more of it's own character thanks to that...
  • Comintue with Warzone and bring back multi-player splitscreen. Glad they aren't following the herd off the cliff.
  • Good, no need for a Halo battle royale mode.
    On the other hand, I would LOVE a horde mode!
  • YES! Bring back Firefight.
  • I don't have anything but a personal preference on the matter, that I don't care for the free-for-all modes on any of the games I've played. Just not something that appeals to me and I won't be sad if they don't put any effort into putting one in Halo. I prefer at least a token nod to the idea of teamwork. I won't mistake any Halo title for Battlefield but I like to have my mind engaged more than tactical instincts.
  • I think this is good news. Let the forge community handle it if it is desired and build the community closer
  • Lets hope they have big team battles with at least 18 online players in a game. Battlefield has like 64 which is insane and really fun.
  • This is why I respect Halo, trend setting rather than trend following..
  • Is Land-Man-Standing an error? Also, i am happy that they are not following the Trends; at some point it will lose its followers. Focus on story!