Halo Infinite could see the inclusion of a new battle royale mode after developer Certain Affinity announced that it's working on "new and exciting things" for the game. Certain Affinity has been a part of Halo's development since Halo 2, when the company made the Blastacular Map Pack. The developer has assisted 343 Industries with co-development, multiplayer, and DLC ever since.
Earlier this year, Windows Central reported that Certain Affinity would be building a new multiplayer game mode codenamed Tatanka. Details are sparse, but the report suggests that it'll be "newcomer-friendly" and should appeal to those who aren't fans of Halo's gameplay style. Certain Affinity could be trying to channel another side of mainstream audiences. The report was published in January and claimed the game mode could be several months out. Since Certain Affinity has started hiring now, we probably won't see it for a while.
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While this could be many things, 343 Industries and Certain Affinity attempting to lure in fans of battle royales seems like a possibility. After all, the genre has become a staggering trend over the past five-or-so years. Most companies want to find their place within this space, and nearly every big publisher has tried to get one out there. Whether it be successfully with Epic's Fortnite or EA's Apex Legends, or unsuccessfully with Ubisoft's Hyperscape, publishers have been trying to make their own take on the idea stick.
We’ve been part of the @Halo franchise for more than 15 years and we’re honored to say we are deepening our relationship with 343 and have been entrusted with further evolving Halo Infinite in some new and exciting ways. Join us on our journey. https://t.co/fApGobYZS3 pic.twitter.com/XSuS7EtLcqApril 12, 2022
Halo is one of Microsoft's biggest games ever (only superseded by Minecraft), and if the company wanted to tackle the most successful multiplayer trend of the last few years, utilizing Halo's fantastic mechanical foundation could yield positive results. There's no first-person shooter out there that feels quite like Halo does, so if Xbox wants a battle royale in its catalog, meshing the two seems like an obvious choice.
Halo Infinite has had quite a few development setbacks, primarily revolving around the delay of long-anticipated campaign co-op and forge multiplayer modes. This has caused the community to stir, so we're hoping Certain Affinity's contributions to the development of Halo Infinite can offer more robust ways to play the game.
Certain Affinity is currently hiring for many positions, including a Senior VFX Artist, Director of Animation, Senior Technical Animator, and far more.
