So on this promotional site for Halo Infinite on Monster’s website it says “Rating Pending: May contain content inappropriate for children. Visit ESRB.org for rating information.”
https://www.monsterenergy.com/us/en/news/monster-energy-x-halo-infinite
Yet on the official store page, it says the game is rated Teen for violence.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/halo-infinite/9pp5g1f0c2b6
Is the store page rating just a placeholder, or does Monster have out of date information?
I think what is goign to be like Halo 5, to reach more people.
There exist at least one thread about this.
As always:
Some people doesn’t care
Some care
I’ve no problem with it. StoryTelling can be done with any rating and I don’t need Blood or Language.
And I’ve already seen shops that have an uncut Version that’s M (16+) rated. So maybe there will be two Versions 
Many of us hope the game is not neutered for children and instead harkens back to the original tone of Halo games. Back to the M rating mantle where the flood and blood were both aplenty.
> 2535416476676749;3:
> There exist at least one thread about this.
>
> As always:
> Some people doesn’t care
> Some care
>
> I’ve no problem with it. StoryTelling can be done with any rating and I don’t need Blood or Language.
>
> And I’ve already seen shops that have an uncut Version that’s M (16+) rated. So maybe there will be two Versions
Story telling is restricted to the confines of that rating. For example all Halo games that included the flood as a story focus were M rated.
So including the flood as a story direction in a T rated game would be unlikely. Ratings place limits on storytelling and what kind of stories you can portray and in what light you can portray them.
> 2535416476676749;3:
> And I’ve already seen shops that have an uncut Version that’s M (16+) rated. So maybe there will be two Versions
Or maybe the multiplayer is T and the campaing is M? I don’t know.
Face it every halo game is now teen so little timmy can give Microsoft those sweet sweet mommy and daddy $$$
> 2533274975454777;7:
> Face it every halo game is now teen so little timmy can give Microsoft those sweet sweet mommy and daddy $$$
Exactly.
Also in my opinion I don’t think microtransactions aka gambling mechanics are child friendly. So it should be M rated automatically on that point.
> 2533274925473364;8:
> > 2533274975454777;7:
> > Face it every halo game is now teen so little timmy can give Microsoft those sweet sweet mommy and daddy $$$
>
> Exactly.
>
> Also in my opinion I don’t think microtransactions aka gambling mechanics are child friendly. So it should be M rated automatically on that point.
Loopholes my friend loopholes they’ll getcha and your money too!
> 2533274925473364;8:
> > 2533274975454777;7:
> > Face it every halo game is now teen so little timmy can give Microsoft those sweet sweet mommy and daddy $$$
>
> Exactly.
>
> Also in my opinion I don’t think microtransactions aka gambling mechanics are child friendly. So it should be M rated automatically on that point.
I still think the most trashy thing 343 ever did was make their game rated t and then have a very intrusive mtx system. That is not a coincidence. Although it was probably microsoft who forced them.
> 2533274852514132;10:
> > 2533274925473364;8:
> > > 2533274975454777;7:
> > > Face it every halo game is now teen so little timmy can give Microsoft those sweet sweet mommy and daddy $$$
> >
> > Exactly.
> >
> > Also in my opinion I don’t think microtransactions aka gambling mechanics are child friendly. So it should be M rated automatically on that point.
>
> I still think the most trashy thing 343 ever did was make their game rated t and then have a very intrusive mtx system. That is not a coincidence. Although it was probably microsoft who forced them.
Big companies exploiting children to make bank.
It’s very wrong on so many levels. Thankfully it looks like legislation will catch up and start regulating microtransactions and loot boxes in gaming. This as a preventative measure against children getting into gambling at too young an age.
> 2533274925473364;5:
> > 2535416476676749;3:
> > There exist at least one thread about this.
> >
> > As always:
> > Some people doesn’t care
> > Some care
> >
> > I’ve no problem with it. StoryTelling can be done with any rating and I don’t need Blood or Language.
> >
> > And I’ve already seen shops that have an uncut Version that’s M (16+) rated. So maybe there will be two Versions
>
> Story telling is restricted to the confines of that rating. For example all Halo games that included the flood as a story focus were M rated.
>
> So including the flood as a story direction in a T rated game would be unlikely. Ratings place limits on storytelling and what kind of stories you can portray and in what light you can portray them.
Halo Wars had flood focus and was rated Teen.
Just because the ESRB decides to rate a game a certain way doesn’t necessarily mean anything. The PEGI system in Europe rates the Bungie Halos and Halo 5: Guardians the same at 16+. You guys put way too much stock in a stupid rating that isn’t universal and just like to find the smallest thing to complain about. Play the game when it comes out and file your complaints appropriately then.
Also, y’all who talk about games introducing gambling to kids at too young an age clearly don’t follow sports. Sports introduce real gambling to kids at a younger age more than any silly loot box system. With your logic, all games that have internet access should be rated M since every EA Sports game has microtransactions to some degree.
I don’t understand people’s obsession with what the ESRB rating will be. Who cares? Honest to God, none of the Halos have deserved the M rating. They all should’ve been rated T, IMO.
> 2753763522165067;13:
> I don’t understand people’s obsession with what the ESRB rating will be. Who cares? Honest to God, none of the Halos have deserved the M rating. They all should’ve been rated T, IMO.
M means more mature themes, like the flood or a grittier campaign/art style. Blood when you shoot enemy’s etc.
This belonged in halo before 343 started catering to children.
> 2533275003965470;14:
> > 2753763522165067;13:
> > I don’t understand people’s obsession with what the ESRB rating will be. Who cares? Honest to God, none of the Halos have deserved the M rating. They all should’ve been rated T, IMO.
>
> M means more mature themes, like the flood or a grittier campaign/art style. Blood when you shoot enemy’s etc.
> This belonged in halo before 343 started catering to children.
I’m sorry, I don’t see it. None of that is stuff I haven’t seen in plenty of T rated games. There’s nothing in any of the Halo games that makes me think “yeah, this deserves the same rating as Gears of War, Mass Effect, and the Witcher.”
> 2533274925473364;5:
> > 2535416476676749;3:
> > There exist at least one thread about this.
> >
> > As always:
> > Some people doesn’t care
> > Some care
> >
> > I’ve no problem with it. StoryTelling can be done with any rating and I don’t need Blood or Language.
> >
> > And I’ve already seen shops that have an uncut Version that’s M (16+) rated. So maybe there will be two Versions
>
> Story telling is restricted to the confines of that rating. For example all Halo games that included the flood as a story focus were M rated.
>
> So including the flood as a story direction in a T rated game would be unlikely. Ratings place limits on storytelling and what kind of stories you can portray and in what light you can portray them.
Its not the early 2000’s anymore. The flood are not really shocking and the M only really applies when it comes to human body horror. Given the UNSC is generally absent from the ring (they are there but not in a major force) its pretty easy to assume if the flood were in the game they would be mainly banished combat forms. The ESRB is very lenient when it comes to violence towards non-humans. Again though, its not the early-mid 2000’s anymore. I know I would not consider the first halos as deserving of the M rating.
https://www.esrb.org/ratings-guide/
From the campaign gameplay demo, I saw:
No substance references
Animated Blood - Discolored and/or unrealistic depictions of blood.
Violence - Scenes involving aggressive conflict. May contain bloodless dismemberment (but i didn’t see dismemberment).
No notable humor
No notable language
No nudity
No gambling
No sexuality
It’s likely that, when humans get shot, there will be Blood - Depictions of blood.
I would argue that, due to all the weapons in Halo Infinite having colored tracer lines, the game has Fantasy Violence - Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life.
Note though, that all Halo games have Violence in their ESRB label. Additionally, Destiny 1 & 2 both have Violence in their ESRB label, so i guess it’s pretty difficult to get labeled Fantasy Violence. It doesn’t really matter though, for a Teen rating.
It’s possible that, if there are non-paid loot boxes, the game could get Simulated Gambling - Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency.
I think Halo Infinite will be rated Teen - Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.
Adding splattering blood like CE might be enough to take it out of the “minimal blood” category. Additionally, the flood may be enough to take it to Blood and Gore - Depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts.
Note that Halo 1-3 had blood and gore on their ESRB label, while Halo OSDT, Reach, and 4 only had Blood (but still rated M). They toned down the blood for Halo 5 and got a T rating (but still have Blood on the label, must be “minimal” enough). Thus, removing the flood gets rid of the gore, but they also have to tone down the blood to get a T rating, it seems.
So, we may be seeing Prometheans instead of the Flood as Halo Infinite’s “big twist”. I hope they’ll be distinguished from other Forerunner stuff, so we can still have the classic standard of four factions.
With multiplayer and microtransactions, Halo Infinite will also get:
In-Game Purchases - Contains in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premiums with real world currency, including but not limited to bonus levels, skins, music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, season passes and upgrades (e.g., to disable ads).
Users Interact - Indicates possible exposure to unfiltered/uncensored user-generated content, including user-to-user communications and media sharing via social media and networks.
These are additional tags that don’t seem to affect the rating, but are added below the main label to let people know if those noteworthy features are in the game.
I have never and will never understand why there are so many people obsessed with an M rating. T Games can be extremely fun and can contain thematically dark/scary elements not dissimilar to the Flood (Metroid Prime games are a good example).
Do I personally care if Halo Infinite is rated M? No, I’ve got better things to do. Do I care if it’s rated T to appeal to a wider audience, at the cost of a few very superficial elements such as endless CE style bloodspatter and super hard language? Also, no. These aren’t ever what made Halo fun to me. And, I have better things to do than get hung up on it.
Bottom line? I don’t think a T rating prohibits Halo Infinite from being a great game, and if Halo Infinite ends up being a great game, I don’t care in the slightest if it ends up being rated T.
I hope it’ll be 18/M…I like my Halo to take itself somewhat seriously. Having blood and profanity adds to the immersion of being a soldier. Even if that’s a 7"2 super soldier 500 years in the future. It isn’t vital, of course, but it’s definitely my preference.
The rating really doesn’t matter considering games have pushed boundaries even at certain ratings. Take Halo Wars 2 for example despite being rated T for Teen it had the Flood included which people have made the excuse that if Halo was rated T it would never include the Flood but as proven by Halo Wars 2 that’s not the case.