Leaked Halo Infinite audio includes battle royale references

Could Halo Infinite be getting a battle royale mode after all? (pic: 343 Industries)

The technical preview for Halo Infinite has been datamined and fans have discovered audio that could confirm a battle royale mode.

Over the weekend, lucky Halo fans took part in a technical preview of Halo Infinite – specifically the game’s multiplayer. As you’d expect, dataminers have searched through the preview’s files to see if they can glean any new info and uncovered an intriguing piece of audio.

Initially shared via ResetEra, audio of the Halo series’ instantly recognisable in-game announcer can be heard saying the words ‘battle royale’ (you can hear it for yourself here). Naturally, this has some people wondering if Halo Infinite’s multiplayer will include a battle royale mode, despite developer 343 Industries saying it won’t.

Such a mode has been widely suspected for a while now, especially with how popular the battle royale genre has become thanks to games like Fortnite and Call Of Duty: Warzone. Although more recently paid-for games have begun to avoid the mode, with Battlefield 2042 insisting it won’t have it.

343 Industries has repeatedly stated that Halo Infinite won’t have battle royale either but it is entirely possible that plans have changed over time.

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is already confirmed to be free-to-play and feature battle passes, both of which are hallmarks of the battle royale genre, so the mode would be a suitable fit in that sense.

However, the audio doesn’t necessarily guarantee the mode’s presence. It could refer to something else entirely or is potentially a holdover from abandoned plans. Perhaps 343 did consider adding the mode before scrapping it or was undecided and had the line recorded just in case it ever needed it.

In the end, fans won’t have a definitive answer until either the game releases or 343 and/or Microsoft make an official statement on the matter.

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This isn’t the only leak to come from the files either. According to 343’s own head of creative Joseph Staten, the preview contained some spoiler-filled files related to Infinite’s campaign.

As such, Staten has asked that fans be wary of coming across spoilers online and to not share them, ‘Leaks like this are painful for the dev team and can ruin the campaign experience for everyone. So please, keep your eyes peeled for spoilers and don’t spread them if you see them.’

We’re not going to link to the leaks here but they’re easy enough to find on Reddit and elsewhere if you look for them.

For anyone considering sharing the leaked info on their YouTube channels, 343 has warned that spoiler videos will be hit with a takedown notice. Although this wouldn’t have happened if they’d been a bit more careful about what the preview code actually contained.

Halo Infinite will release this autumn for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

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