Photo Credit: (343 industries)
There is a lot riding at Microsoft's presentation this year for the Halo franchise. Esports fans are looking for the franchise to return to the arena game play that made it an MLG pro circuit standout. There are also the story fans looking for 343 industries to redeem themselves after the less than stellar attempt to pivot in Halo 5's maligned campaign. Plenty needs to go right for 343i if they can change the narrative around their ownership of the franchise. Let's look at some big potential announcements regarding the franchise and how they will impact the rest of the year.
Halo Infinite
Recent reports from trusted Microsoft insider Brad Sams suggest we will see gameplay footage from the new slipstream engine powered title running off of a PC, with the game released on both PC and Xbox. A launch date is not known, but expect it to be next year (sadly) as a launch title for the next generation Xbox.
What will Infinite look like? We don't know, but we do know it will be beautiful and expect a new Halo ring to come into play. 343i has really kept the lid tight on leaks with this title, but that has not stopped the rumor mill from circulating talks of battle royale, potential story spoilers, and settings for multiplayer.
Halo Esports
Halo 5 had a good run as an esport, but like with other console shooters it did not have the longevity to sustain past a few years. Yesterday, 343i announced a strategic joint venture with FACEIT for FACEIT Ignite a European Open event for Halo 3 in Twickenham stadium London, England. While Halo 3 has seen some resurgent interest in the franchise as an esport, 343 has a real opportunity to create a lasting product with Infinite as an esport and we can expect some plans on that front as we did several years ago when Microsoft launched the Halo World Championship in 2016.
Photo Credit: FACEIT
Halo TV show
While a completely different medium, Microsoft/343i have not shied away from the multimedia aspect of E3 and we can expect some updates on the TV showthat was announced at E3 so many years ago. Recently, 343 studio executive Kiki Wolfkill stated the show would be as grand as "Game of Thrones" in scale of politics, intrigue, and battles.
Hopefully that is not just studio talk and we are able to get some updates on the upcoming Showtime series featuring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117.
Halo Battle Royale
Considering the recent battle royale craze from all of the big publishers, it only makes sense that fans would be clamoring for 343 to jump on the bandwagon. Halo seems to have the perfect in lore tie in to the "hot drop" concept if they used the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) from the highly praised Halo 3: ODST spinoff title to land on a Halo ring teeming with alien life and enemy squads. Yet, the heads at 343 have frequently put down such rumors as not happening and the likelihood of a battle royale announcement at E3 seem to be low.
What else might we see? Comment your best theories below!