Former Halo pro turned streaming superstar Ninja isn’t all too pleased with the current state of Infinite, claiming 343 Industries is ‘delusional’ for not launching the title with a Battle Royale component to mirror the success of Call of Duty with Warzone.
Before Ninja was the blue-haired Fortnite phenomenon, he cut his teeth in the professional Halo circuit.
For years he was committed to being the best in Bungie’s renowned FPS series. With thousands of hours poured in, he was hopeful Infinite would reignite the spark and help elevate the dwindling franchise. For a brief time, he even considered a return to competitive play as hype swirled around the new release.
However, Infinite’s rocky launch and failure to capitalize has been well documented in recent months. Barely a few thousand are actively engaging with the newest release today, as fans flock to the Master Chief Collection once again instead.
Given the state of Infinite today, a decline that Ninja claims he saw coming, the content creator has lashed out at 343 Industries for their handling of the IP, calling them ‘delusional’ in the process.
“Competitive esports is the only thing keeping [Infinite] alive,” Ninja began in a heated September 28 rant while streaming with DrDisrespect and TimTheTatman. “The delusion to think an arena shooter will stand alone by itself in 2022 is disgusting.”
As many argued prior to launch, a lone multiplayer shooter would likely struggle to stay afloat this calendar year without something extra to draw players in. For the likes of Doc and NICKMERCS, that something extra is a Battle Royale.
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“Look at Call of Duty,” Ninja continued in his rant. “CoD multiplayer dies every year and Warzone keeps it alive. How can a studio as big as [343] not be able to see the light? It’s been set out. The proof of concept exists with Call of Duty. To just sit there on their high horse and be like ‘yeah we’re good, we don’t need a BR.’”
(Ninja discusses Halo Infinite at the 2:59:10 mark below)
While there have been countless rumors in recent months surrounding a potential Halo battle royale, one by the codename of Tatanka, we’re yet to here of this project in any official capacity.
For all we know, it could still be years away from launch. Especially given the state of Infinite, with delayed seasons, delayed co-op, canceled split-screen, and a delayed Forge mode.
From Ninja’s perspective, Infinite needed a BR at launch to remain competitive. Without one, “look what happened,” he said in light of the game’s decline.
“I played the Beta. I played on day one. Then I never played [Infinite] again.”
