Halo Infinite Battle Royale Rumors Swirl Again, But Nothing Is Confirmed

Once again, rumors have suggested that Halo Infinite could get a battle royale mode--but don't get too excited (or upset) just yet. This latest rumor is far from confirmed, but it's exciting to think about in any case.

According to reports, a datamining effort from the Halo Infinite multiplayer preview has revealed a voice line from multiplayer announcer Jeff Steitzer where he can be heard saying "battle royale." This appears to stem from the same or a similar datamine that revealed story spoilers for Infinite's campaign.

Posted on ResetEra, the voice file has Steitzer--or someone who sounds just like him--saying "battle royale." Following the theory, this is the announcement players might hear at the start of a battle royale match in Halo Infinite, not unlike how Steitzer says "Slayer" at the start of a game.

There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that Halo Infinite will find its way into the battle royale space in some capacity. First and foremost, developer 343 Industries has repeatedly shot down rumors of Halo Infinite having a battle royale mode. That said, the studio also distanced itself from reports of a grappling hook coming to Halo Infinite, but it did, and people are loving it.

In 2019, Halo franchise boss Frank O'Connor said it is not true that Halo Infinite will launch with a battle royale mode, though he did not rule it out that it could come later on.

Brad Sams, who has accurately reported on many unannounced Xbox endeavors, may be accurate in stating Microsoft has done some work on a Halo battle royale game. Game development is highly iterative. So it might be possible that 343 experimented with battle royale and decided not to pursue it further. Given the enduring appeal of the battle royale genre, it makes sense that Microsoft would at least consider a battle royale mode for Halo Infinite.

It's also possible the "battle royale" voice line is an unused audio asset that 343's audio team asked Steitzer to say to cover their bases should the studio ever want to put a battle royale mode in the game. Additionally, Steitzer has a public Cameo page where people can ask him to say anything, so in theory, someone could have paid him to say "battle royale" and then posted it online.

We don't know for sure. As of publish time, it doesn't appear that 343 has responded to this latest rumor about Halo Infinite and battle royale. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.

For more on Halo Infinite and battle royale, check out GameSpot's rundown of all the rumors and possibilities of what could happen.

The Halo Infinite technical multiplayer preview is available now for Halo Insider members who were chosen for the test--and already, they are competing for high scores in The Academy. The preview wraps up later today, August 2, but there will be additional trial periods coming up later, so if you didn't get into this first one, you might receive an invite next time.

Halo Infinite launches this holiday for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The multiplayer is free-to-play, while the campaign is included with Xbox Game Pass. Beware that some story spoilers have begun to leak.