Gameplay for a canceled Halo project reveals what the franchises may have looked like if players took control of Master Chief through a VR headset. The Halo franchise continues to be one of Microsoft's largest franchises, with the live-action series getting a second season and Halo Infinite impressing fans like filmmaker John Carpenter when it was released last year. While the latest game attracted many players with its free-to-play multiplayer and open-world campaign, fans are still jumping back into previous Halo games.
Fans were disappointed when Halo Infinite's campaign launched without cooperative multiplayer, a prominent feature included in every main entry to the franchise. Developer 343 Industries is finally releasing Halo Infinite co-op, and select players will be able to playtest it next week. It's unknown if adding co-op at this point will be enough to entice fans to return to Halo Infinite. Many fans are reverting to Halo: The Master Chief Collection for their Spartan-fueled Halo multiplayer battles. However, new footage reveals another Halo project that would have had players control Master Chief in a particularly immersive way.
Footage for the canceled Halo VR project has been revealed, demonstrating what could have been a radically different future for the franchise. Details and footage of the canceled project were brought to light by Mr_Rebs_ on Twitter, who has discovered cut gaming content and many canceled projects. Rebs clarifies that 343 was so impressed by Halo VR that they hired the mod's designer, Nibre_, as an engineer for Halo: MCC. The footage from 2019 shows the VR mod with Halo: MCC working well with VR tech. Still, 343 ultimately decided not to move forward with the project, titled Reverie at the time, because of the limited users and challenges that come with developing a VR game. Instead, the developer focused on Halo Infinite and a new yet-to-be-announced Halo game.
According to Rebs's tweets, 343 considered creating a Halo VR experience as far back as 2017. Technology has come a long way since then, with VR headsets becoming much easier to attain. Games like Half-Life: Alyx and Resident Evil 4 VR have proven that Virtual Reality games have finally gotten to the point where they can tell exciting and immersive stories. However, in 2017, 343 wasn't ready to bring Master Chief to VR audiences.
The Halo universe continues to expand, and more Halo Infinite multiplayer content is in the works. Players will soon be able to enjoy the long-delayed co-op campaign. When the highly customizable Forge mode releases for Halo Infinite, fans will be able to customize and play with an endless amount of new maps and modes, and given how well such features have worked for other games in the past, this will likely expand the entertainment value of Halo Infinite significantly. With VR gaming becoming more advanced and affordable, there may come the day when a Halo VR game becomes a reality, and 343 Industries already has a capable engineer with the skills to make it happen.
Source: Rebs Gaming/Twitter