We shouldn't gatekeep Halo from a new audience

Games Halo Infinite
1

Hear me out, first of all forget all the people saying that Halo “needs” a Battle Royal to survive because we all know that’s not true.

What I wanna stress is that there’s no point in gatekeeping the franchise, we’re too protective of Halo because we have PTSD from Halo 4 and 5, a BR mode would have been concerning if the game LAUNCHED and was DESIGNED around BR mechanics which is not the case for Infinite! This means that a BR mode post launch will make people who never bothered with Halo get into the franchise and potentially get into the campaign, Arena, BTB and find out what they’ve missed on all while Halo maintaining its identity, hell they might even drop BR’s after that.

I despise BR’s myself but with time I started to realize some things, I know people are afraid of Halo following trends again because of what happened in the past but remember Halo Infinite is not designed to follow trends and 343 learned, a BR mode down the line will only help the franchise expand to new audiences.

2

I think people are more annoyed at the black and white view of it especially during the campaign reveal. I haven’t seen a single person argue that a Battle Royale mode shouldn’t be added if it is done right while everything else is great. Halo fans want to make sure everything is back to normal with the franchise before wanting another layer. What Dr. Disrespect the other day is true however people neglected to recognized he referenced viewership not the actual game.

3

In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with having a BR. I play BRs and enjoy them. I’d even go as far to say I think a Halo BR could be fun. But it just seems like the lazy route to take to me.

When we’re talking about a mode with that high of a player count, there’s so many more ways to take advantage of it other than just making the same thing the market is already over saturated with. I think Halo should focus on creating a mode that highlights the strengths it has over other games like the unique enemy encounters instead of just being more of the same.

Guardian’s warzone definitely had its inherent problems like the req system, but I think the core idea there could still be amazing if it was redesigned from the ground up with increased player count and map size. I think a PvPvE mode along those lines would be an experience you can only get in Halo and help it stand out from other games.

And I don’t think that’s gatekeeping, no one’s saying new players can’t come in and enjoy it too. Gatekeeping and a game being something fresh and different aren’t the same thing.

4

> 2533274792737987;2:
> I think people are more annoyed at the black and white view of it especially during the campaign reveal. I haven’t seen a single person argue that a Battle Royale mode shouldn’t be added if it is done right while everything else is great. Halo fans want to make sure everything is back to normal with the franchise before wanting another layer. What Dr. Disrespect the other day is true however people neglected to recognized he referenced viewership not the actual game.

Doc has a point on Halo BR but he explained his point in the most unlikable way possible, not sure he gets that viewership isn’t everything, a game needs to be good first.

5

> 2533274938709455;1:
> Hear me out, first of all forget all the people saying that Halo “needs” a Battle Royal to survive because we all know that’s not true.
>
> What I wanna stress is that there’s no point in gatekeeping the franchise, we’re too protective of Halo because we have PTSD from Halo 4 and 5, a BR mode would have been concerning if the game LAUNCHED and was DESIGNED around BR mechanics which is not the case for Infinite! This means that a BR mode post launch will make people who never bothered with Halo get into the franchise and potentially get into the campaign, Arena, BTB and find out what they’ve missed on all while Halo maintaining its identity, hell they might even drop BR’s after that.
>
> I despise BR’s myself but with time I started to realize some things, I know people are afraid of Halo following trends again because of what happened in the past but remember Halo Infinite is not designed to follow trends and 343 learned, a BR mode down the line will only help the franchise expand to new audiences.

THANK YOU, yes. God.

I’m sick of Halo puritans.

Change is good. Let it happen. The original trilogy is comparatively mediocre in this day and age (even though I still love it) - using it as a comparison to EVERYTHING EVER is stupid. Everything changes, even Halo. Let it happen.

6

> 2533274938709455;4:
> > 2533274792737987;2:
> > I think people are more annoyed at the black and white view of it especially during the campaign reveal. I haven’t seen a single person argue that a Battle Royale mode shouldn’t be added if it is done right while everything else is great. Halo fans want to make sure everything is back to normal with the franchise before wanting another layer. What Dr. Disrespect the other day is true however people neglected to recognized he referenced viewership not the actual game.
>
> Doc has a point on Halo BR but he explained his point in the most unlikable way possible, not sure he gets that viewership isn’t everything, a game needs to be good first.

Fully agree with this. He came off as ignorant and that led to the blow back the most. He could of articulated what he said with his response and it would of been fine.

7

BR is just a gimmicky mode that’s all the rage right now because the younger gamers think it’s awesome. All the BR mode boils down to is a Death Match Free for All but instead of winning because you got the most frags, you win because everyone else died and you didn’t.

Yeah…so much fun. Dying early and then having to watch everyone else play tell the end. Good times. Like playing R6 Siege mp and dying from the insane low TTK and having to watch everyone else play and then repeat that same bs all over again 5 or 6 times.

give me old school modes like death match, ctf, tdm, conquest etc any day.

8

> 2535438627034925;7:
> BR is just a gimmicky mode that’s all the rage right now because the younger gamers think it’s awesome. All the BR mode boils down to is a Death Match Free for All but instead of winning because you got the most frags, you win because everyone else died and you didn’t.
>
> Yeah…so much fun. Dying early and then having to watch everyone else play tell the end. Good times. Like playing R6 Siege mp and dying from the insane low TTK and having to watch everyone else play and then repeat that same bs all over again 5 or 6 times.
>
> give me old school modes like death match, ctf, tdm, conquest etc any day.

This^

That topic is so tiring. And not making a BR has nothing to do with “gatekeep”. If 343i makes a br mode, than the game(-mode) has nothing to do with Halo, why should new audience play Halo, if it’s not Halo. I have to repeat my post here:

I think if 343i should really focus on the game itself instead making a BR, because:

  • The game is not even finished yet and will not even launch with all modes. With that said, it’s so much work to put in the game, now, til launch, on launch and beyond launch and it’s way more important, (not only for me, but for almost every Halo Fan, the Franchise and 343i itself) to launch the game in a good state and release the missing Content first. And realease the the game and missing content in a good state. - It’s more important for 343i, to provide a good service in Infinite’s lifespan. Progression system, new maps, skins for weapons and vehicles, adding new and/or old weapons, armor coatings, special events maybe DLC’s/Expansions for campaign are really important and should have everytime a bigger priority than new game modes, presupposed all core mode are already in the game. - Slayer, BTB, Ranked, CTF, Oddball and FFA are core modes from Halo wich almost every Halo player looking forward to. Halo is Halo and dont need to be like other games like PUBG or whatever. Imho this game doesnt need to be such an allrounder (and kind of “selling the soul” for more player and especially not for some streamers), with every game mod, every player count on the map, to make every single player with any sorts of desire happy. - This is not the main argument but i still want to mention it: 343i said that the only BR wich they care about is the Battle Rifle. It’s a cool statement wich makes a lot of Halo fans, lot of “core-players” and non-BR player happy and proud. It would be a little bit dissapointing to break this commitment. Even if more player would maybe play Infinite, it would leave a bad taste in the mouth for a lot of player and would damage the reputation and credibility from 343i (wich they have recently improved a bit with the flights) - If Halo fans/player want so bad a “battle royal” (i don’t know why, FFA is kind of simular but with more action, but yeah that’s just my subjective opinion, don’t hate me^^) they can do it in forge. With that 343i doesn’t waste valuable time, money, staff and effort and can do way more important things and some players can still be “pleased” by that gamemode, from the community in forge.THX for reading.
9

> 2535438627034925;7:
> BR is just a gimmicky mode that’s all the rage right now because the younger gamers think it’s awesome. All the BR mode boils down to is a Death Match Free for All but instead of winning because you got the most frags, you win because everyone else died and you didn’t.
>
> Yeah…so much fun. Dying early and then having to watch everyone else play tell the end. Good times. Like playing R6 Siege mp and dying from the insane low TTK and having to watch everyone else play and then repeat that same bs all over again 5 or 6 times.
>
> give me old school modes like death match, ctf, tdm, conquest etc any day.

At this point, BR has been around long enough to be more than a gimmick. The fun from a BR comes from the decision-making you’re forced to do based on your situation and the fact that any fight could be the last you have in that particular round. Seeing yourself improve and make better decisions is also a rewarding experience. I enjoy some BRs for these reasons. I also love arena shooters, been playing them since I’ve been old enough to sit at a computer. I would like to see if Halo can innovate on the BR gametype, its mechanics and sandbox are well suited for one whether you like them or not.

10

> 2535465841210047;5:
> > 2533274938709455;1:
> > Hear me out, first of all forget all the people saying that Halo “needs” a Battle Royal to survive because we all know that’s not true.
> >
> > What I wanna stress is that there’s no point in gatekeeping the franchise, we’re too protective of Halo because we have PTSD from Halo 4 and 5, a BR mode would have been concerning if the game LAUNCHED and was DESIGNED around BR mechanics which is not the case for Infinite! This means that a BR mode post launch will make people who never bothered with Halo get into the franchise and potentially get into the campaign, Arena, BTB and find out what they’ve missed on all while Halo maintaining its identity, hell they might even drop BR’s after that.
> >
> > I despise BR’s myself but with time I started to realize some things, I know people are afraid of Halo following trends again because of what happened in the past but remember Halo Infinite is not designed to follow trends and 343 learned, a BR mode down the line will only help the franchise expand to new audiences.
>
> THANK YOU, yes. God.
>
> I’m sick of Halo puritans.
>
> Change is good. Let it happen. The original trilogy is comparatively mediocre in this day and age (even though I still love it) - using it as a comparison to EVERYTHING EVER is stupid. Everything changes, even Halo. Let it happen.

Not all change is good.

I played COD since Big Red One (Cod 2) and completely stopped playing COD when it went through it’s futuristic jetpack trend (only returned for WW2 and MW2019).

I will not be getting Battlefield 2042 since it is removing the class system that has defined Battlefield for several games (among other issues).

Just because change eventually happens (and sometimes it is good change) doesn’t mean that I’m obligated to like it. Some people just enjoy a franchise’s core gameplay offering(s) and are naturally hesitant to see it change. I wouldn’t hate BR being added as a bonus mode down the line, but Halo needs to emphasize it’s arena roots first and I’d argue we need missing features (Co-Op and Forge) up and running before we really divert the team to a BR mode.

11

> 2533274987139949;8:
> > 2535438627034925;7:
> > BR is just a gimmicky mode that’s all the rage right now because the younger gamers think it’s awesome. All the BR mode boils down to is a Death Match Free for All but instead of winning because you got the most frags, you win because everyone else died and you didn’t.
> >
> > Yeah…so much fun. Dying early and then having to watch everyone else play tell the end. Good times. Like playing R6 Siege mp and dying from the insane low TTK and having to watch everyone else play and then repeat that same bs all over again 5 or 6 times.
> >
> > give me old school modes like death match, ctf, tdm, conquest etc any day.
>
> This^
>
> That topic is so tiring. Ant not making a BR has nothing to do with “gatekeep”. If 343i make a br mode, than the game(-mode) has nothing to do with Halo, why should new audience play Halo, if it’s not Halo. I have to repeat my post here:
>
> I think if 343i should really focus on the game itself instead making a BR, because:
> - The game is not even finished yet and will not even launch with all modes. With that said, it’s so much work to put in the game, now, til launch, on launch and beyond launch and it’s way more important, (not only for me, but for almost every Halo Fan, the Franchise and 343i itself) to launch the game in a good state and release the missing Content first. And realease the the game and missing content in a good state. - It’s more important for 343i, to provide a good service in Infinite’s lifespan. Progression system, new maps, skins for weapons and vehicles, adding new and/or old weapons, armor coatings, special events maybe DLC’s/Expansions for campaign are really important and should have everytime a bigger priority than new game modes (not just BR) - Slayer, BTB, Ranked, CTF, Oddball and FFA are core modes from Halo wich almost every Halo player looking forward to. Halo is Halo and dont need to be like other games like PUBG or whatever. Imho this game doesnt need to be such an allrounder (and kind of “selling the soul” for more player and especially not for some streamers), with every game mod, every player count on the map, to make every single player with any sorts of desire happy. - This is not the main argument but i still want to mention it: 343i said that the only BR wich they care about is the Battle Rifle. It’s a cool statement wich makes a lot of Halo fans, lot of “core-players” and non-BR player happy and proud. It would be a little bit dissapointing to break this commitment. Even if more player would maybe play Infinite, it would leave a bad taste in the mouth for a lot of player and would damage the reputation and credibility from 343i (wich they have recently improved a bit with the flights) - If Halo fans/player want so bad a “battle royal” (i don’t know why, FFA is kind of simular but with more action, but yeah that’s just my subjective opinion, don’t hate me^^) they can do it in forge. With that 343i doesn’t waste valuable time, money, staff and effort and can do way more important things and some players can still be “pleased” by that gamemode, from the community in forge.THX for reading.

The game is not even finished yet and will not even launch with all modes- There’s no BR at launch either. I’m sure there are no plans to release on before the core Halo elements are there.

It’s more important for 343i, to provide a good service in Infinite’s lifespan. Progression system, new maps, skins for weapons and vehicles, adding new and/or old weapons, armor coatings, special events maybe DLC’s/Expansions for campaign are really important- Adding new game modes and things for players to do is also important. It’s also the case that all the things you listed here are done by different teams. I don’t think having a BR would mean everything else would take a backseat. Campaign DLC is the only thing I can truly see being affected by this maybe. Depends on how they plan on doing dlcs and how they are managing those teams.

Slayer, BTB, Ranked, CTF, Oddball and FFA are core modes from Halo wich almost every Halo player looking forward to. Halo is Halo and dont need to be like other games like PUBG or whatever- Agreed these game types are quintessentially halo and I love them as much as the next guy. However, if infinite is truly expected to be a platform for 10 years then I think there will need to be more. Not just game modes for arena, but different experiences for multiplayer. Not saying it needs to be a BR exactly, but as much as I love Halo not one Halo game has kept me coming back every day or even every week for 10 years. Infinite will need more.

343i said that the only BR wich they care about is the Battle Rifle- Plans and leadership change. This statement was made what, three years ago now? How much of that top leadership still exists when that statement was made? I think if they release a solid core Halo experience at launch that is everything Halo fans wanted then I don’t think most reasonable Halo fans will or even should care that they do a BR to bring in a different audience. How would it affect you negatively? The core Halo experience already exists.

If Halo fans/player want so bad a “battle royal” (i don’t know why, FFA is kind of simular but with more action, but yeah that’s just my subjective opinion, don’t hate me^^) they can do it in forge- FFA is not similar, the stakes per match are different and the tactical decision making is very different. The problem with doing it in forge is it will not be an event you can advertise and pull in an audience. The only people that are aware of the gametypes that are being made for forge are the players already playing Halo which would defeat the point.

12

I wholly, fully support a Battle Royale mode. I just don’t think it’s something I’d enjoy. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be there…! It absolutely could and should be at some point in the future.

13

" Halo shouldn’t follow trends… so I think it should follow trends! "

14

> 2533274810989728;13:
> " Halo shouldn’t follow trends… so I think it should follow trends! "

Did you read my post? If not please do before commenting

15

I only want a BR if it doesn’t kill the player base. I love halo, I love playing FPS games. I’m kind of a casual because I just don’t have the time I had before working full time. I don’t like to feel punished for being casual which all BR do. I like bigger modes with respawns so if I do bad I don’t have to be the sole reason a team loses. I also don’t have many gamer friends anymore so I’m usually just making randoms mad. BR is fine as long as it doesn’t take an hour to que for BTB because everyone moved to BR or went back to MCC. Also I’m kind of excited for Infinities art style and would hate for the pressure of keeping a BR relevant to ruin that. Having cat eared helmets that cause you to shoot rainbow bullets would make me just give up on it.

If they avoid that I would not care at all. I may even play it once or twice.

16

> 2535465841210047;5:
> > 2533274938709455;1:
> > Hear me out, first of all forget all the people saying that Halo “needs” a Battle Royal to survive because we all know that’s not true.
> >
> > What I wanna stress is that there’s no point in gatekeeping the franchise, we’re too protective of Halo because we have PTSD from Halo 4 and 5, a BR mode would have been concerning if the game LAUNCHED and was DESIGNED around BR mechanics which is not the case for Infinite! This means that a BR mode post launch will make people who never bothered with Halo get into the franchise and potentially get into the campaign, Arena, BTB and find out what they’ve missed on all while Halo maintaining its identity, hell they might even drop BR’s after that.
> >
> > I despise BR’s myself but with time I started to realize some things, I know people are afraid of Halo following trends again because of what happened in the past but remember Halo Infinite is not designed to follow trends and 343 learned, a BR mode down the line will only help the franchise expand to new audiences.
>
> THANK YOU, yes. God.
>
> I’m sick of Halo puritans.
>
> Change is good. Let it happen. The original trilogy is comparatively mediocre in this day and age (even though I still love it) - using it as a comparison to EVERYTHING EVER is stupid. Everything changes, even Halo. Let it happen.

I mean, nobody wants the series to stagnate. Change is good, even necessary, but only if done right. The direction they first took with H4 is an example of it done wrong. From what I’ve seen so far, Infinite seems to be an example of it done right.

17

Remember when Halo decided it should be like CoD? That went super well didn’t it?
So now let’s imitate Apex, or Fortnite what could possibly go wrong ?

18

I think some of the resentment towards BR comes from the fact that the majority of the time one is made the rest of the game gets ignored. Fortnite ignored the campaign mode for BR and according to multiple insiders Titanfall 3 was actually in the middle of development until the devs started using the dev time to see what a BR would look like and now TF3 isn’t even in development.

I feel like a lot more people would be accepting if BR didn’t have such a notorious past with taking priority in the development process.

19

As an old Halo CE fan I’m not against BR just want a good game that works and is fun to play first.

20

I would try a battle royale version of halo. It would probably be a lot like warzone i’m guessing. Also it kinda feels like 343 are preparing us for a BR mode, considering the campaign map is a huge open world, a lot like a battle royale game. If they add one great if not no worries. The beauty of halo is the amount of game types to choose from and enjoy. If you don’t like it don’t play it. Thats my philosophy.