It appears the Halo Infinite battle royale dream could still be alive as support developer studio Certain Affinity has announced they've "been entrusted with further evolving Halo Infinite in some new and exciting ways."
As first pointed out by the folks over at Eurogamer, Certain Affinity's statement specifically mentions that the studio is "deepening" its relationship with Halo Infinite's 343 Industries, perhaps teasing that some major additions are on the way.
"Weâve been part of the Halo franchise for more than 15 years and weâre honored to say we are deepening our relationship with 343 and have been entrusted with further evolving Halo Infinite in some new and exciting ways," the Certain Affinity statement reads. "Join us on our journey."
As shown on their careers page, Certain Affinity are indeed currently hiring for all disciplines across Austin, Toronto and remote to aid them in their next steps, from art and design to production and programming.
This news is especially interesting considering Windows Central's report back in January that Certain Affinity was already developing an all-new game mode for Halo Infinite's multiplayer.
As detailed in the report, the mode is seemingly codenamed "Tanaka," and is being viewed as something that should appeal to a wider audience of gamers.
"It seems that this new mode codenamed 'Tatanka' could be several months out at this point,"Â Windows Central reported, "and is designed to be a more 'newcomer-friendly' experience that isn't as demanding competitively than existing multiplayer modes, Big Team Battle and Arena. It's also intended to entice users who typically aren't interested in Halo, potentially targeting gamers on Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, or Apex Legends."
According to Windows Central, the mode will also "hook into Halo Infinite's upcoming Forge mode," feature "player-created content" in addition to cosmetics from Halo Infinite's existing multiplayer mode and potentially have a "new progression system of its own."
Being that the project is being worked on by a studio entirely separate from 343 Industries, it certainly seems like this new mode will hold some significant weight in Halo Infinite.
Certain Affinity, an independent game developer based in Texas especially known for its work on Microsoft titles from Halo 2 to Halo Infinite, as well as Call of Duty, is also reportedly working on a "Monster Hunter inspired" game.
Ultimately, this certainly sounds like the Halo battle royale dream many have been on the lookout for could still be a possibility.