Halo Infinite still won't launch with a battle royale mode

Not long after Halo Infinite was unveiled, lead writer Jeff Easterling responded to a question about a possible battle royale mode with: "I'll tell you right now, the only 'BR' we're really interested in is 'Battle Rifle'." Despite rumours to the contrary, it sounds like the sentiment hasn't changed.

A report from Brad Sams claimed that 343 Industries was working on a battle royale mode for the upcoming shooter, and while it was light on details, more were promised. On ResetEra, however, Halo director Frank O'Conner said otherwise. While 343 isn't ready to reveal exactly what Halo Infinite will launch with, he said it won't include a battle royale mode.

"We will not talk about the launch content of Halo Infinite until we're ready," O'Conner wrote. "I haven't watched the video so if I am misinterpreting the headline as 'Halo Infinite is launching with/as a Halo battle royale mode' that is still not the case. You can probably make your own battle royale mode in Forge even right now though."

The modes that will feature aren't yet defined and O'Conner notes that they can change until quite late in development. Some of the elements of battle royales, like big social, emergent stuff, are things the team would like to explore, but don't expect to get flung out of a plane with 99 other players.

So if you want to play a Halo battle royale mode, you'll have to make it yourself.

Here's everything we know about Halo Infinite so far.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.