The official Instagram account for Halo has posted a piece of Super Mario Bros crossover art that has fans theorizing about a possible Nintendo collaboration. Stranger things have happened in the gaming industry and both Mario and Master Chief have turned up in some interesting places over the years.

Halo: Infinite is the next installment for the Halo franchise, one of Microsoft’s biggest titles. The game was originally set to launch alongside the Xbox Series X/S late in 2020 but was pushed back due to development issues arising from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The story continues on from Halo 5: Guardians and follows Master Chief setting out on an adventure to save the remnants of humanity. Not much is known of what the game will entail, other than the small snippets of information shown in the trailer. Halo: Infinite will be set on the installation 07 Halo Ring, with the Banished from Halo Wars 2 appearing as the antagonists as well.

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The post on the official Halo Instagram page features Mario, Donkey Kong, a Koopa Troopa and Bowser all dressed up as Halo characters. This post has spurred on rumors that Xbox may be looking to partner with Nintendo on something in the near future, following an interview with Phil Spencer, the Vice-President of Gaming at Microsoft, featuring his Nintendo Switch clearly visible in the background. Now fans are thinking that the Spartan soldier, Master Chief, may just be coming to Smash Bros in the next DLC announcement.

In the post, Mario is dressed up as the legendary Master Chief, wearing his signature power armor, as well as wielding an assault rifle and the classic magnum pistol that every Halo game starts off with. In the background, Donkey Kong is dressed as a Brute, wielding a gravity hammer and approaching Mario/Master Chief. Bowser is fittingly dressed as an Elite from the Covenant military, seemingly in the place of the Arbiter, kitted out with an energy sword and holding a Cortana/Peach hologram. The Koopa Troopa is obviously a Grunt, rushing at Mario with a plasma pistol and live pulse grenade. Although a Goomba would probably be a more fitting grunt, perhaps the Goombas serve as the Flood Carrier Forms of this crossover universe.

Of course, official accounts post fan art and crossover pieces all time. It is only due to the timing of this post that fans think there might be something more. In the lead-up to E3 and other major showcases from big name gaming companies, anything is really possible. Only time will tell if there is any subtext to this posting.

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Source: Halo Instagram