Halo Infinite Battle Royale: Project Tatanka leaks, everything we know

Brad Norton
Halo Infinite gameplay

While a Halo Infinite Battle Royale is yet to be made official, and there’s no indication one is even on the way, a wide range of gameplay leaks, insider reports, and studio teasers all seem to have uncovered a large-scale development. Here’s everything we know about the rumored Project Tatanka.

Despite launching with plenty of hype behind it, Halo Infinite’s core multiplayer struggled to sustain its early momentum. With a dwindling player base and infrequent updates through much of the first year, many were calling on 343 Industries to deliver a Battle Royale mode in hopes of salvaging the title.

And while many regular updates since, including the delivery of Firefight and Forge, have helped stabilize things somewhat, Infinite is still certainly falling short of expectations.

Although nothing has yet been confirmed, it appeared all but certain that a BR mode was indeed in the works at one point in time. When we’ll see it, if at all, what it looks like, and how it functions all remain a mystery for now.

But with an assortment of early leaks and insider reports, we can start piecing together a picture of the supposed Project Tatanka. So here’s a full breakdown of everything we know about the Halo Infinity BR thus far.


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Halo Infinite artwork
A Halo Infinite Battle Royale could reignite the floundering 343 release.

Is a Halo Infinite Battle Royale officially in development?

While all signs pointed towards it, a possible Halo Infinite Battle Royale is yet to be confirmed. Microsoft continues to keep its cards close to the chest on this one, meaning we’re yet to hear anything official regarding a BR mode.

Though with months of rumors, leaks, and even a recent developer announcement all piling up, it seemed a BR was all but inevitable in recent years, though nothing has come to fruition.

If a BR was indeed in development, reports indicated Certain Affinity is the team responsible. This studio full of ex-Bungie devs has long been working with 343 on the Halo franchise, and just recently announced plans to “deepen” its relationship.

Certain Affinity was reportedly working on a standalone project codenamed ‘Tatanka,’ according to industry insider Jez Corden. Doubling down on his claims, Corden also indicated Tatanka “started development around Spring 2020,” meaning the project has supposedly been in development for over two years.

The codename itself lends credence to BR theories as Tatanka was a former professional wrestler best known for winning a 40-man battle royal match.

Halo Infinite Battle Royale canceled?

Despite the many leaks surrounding the mysterious Project Tatanka, insiders are now claiming the Halo Infinite Battle Royale is no more.

Prominent leaker Shpeshal Nick recently claimed Certain Affinity is no longer working on the title. Obviously, it’s worth taking this intel with a grain of salt for the time being, as Microsoft is yet to comment on the situation whatsoever, let alone confirm devs were ever even working on such a game.

Though based on leaks you’ll find below, it seems almost certain a Halo BR was indeed in the plans for quite some time.

Possible Halo Infinite Battle Royale release window

With the recent mass layoffs at Microsoft, it appears that Halo Infinite’s Battle Royale mode has taken a massive hit in its development process. As first reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Microsoft was still planning to go ahead with the developer for a Halo Battle Royal mode at that point in time. However, Tatanka was seemingly getting reworked from the ground up. At least, that was the idea in early 2023.

“Microsoft’s 343 Industries will still make Halo games, despite rumors to the contrary,” began Schreier. “But with mass layoffs (at least 95 people), an engine pivot to Unreal, and a focus only on multiplayer for the near future, 343 is hitting the reset button.”

Halo Infinite Battle Royale leaks

Even with Microsoft yet to confirm its existence, Halo Infinite’s potential BR has seen a wide range of leaks in recent months. From the codename itself down to specific in-game settings, we’ve already got plenty to go off.

The BR mode was seemingly set to feature four separate playlists. Only two distinct lobby sizes may be supported, though players will seemingly have the choice of playing solo or as part of a team.

Below is a look at leaked Tatanka lobby sizes:

  • Tatanka with 60 Bots – Last Team Wins! Twenty teams of 3
  • Tatanka with 100 Bots – Last Team Wins! Twenty-five teams of 4
  • Tatanka FFA with 60 Bots – Last player surviving wins! (with 60 Bots)
  • Tatanka FFA with 100 Bots – Last player surviving wins! (with 100 Bots)

Various in-game setting leaks may have also revealed a number of key features in the BR. For starters, it seemed as though players would drop into the BR map through ODST-style ‘Drop Pods.’

A ‘containment zone’ is also present, no different from all other BRs like Warzone, Apex Legends, and Fortnite, which all feature shrinking safe zones.

Last but not least, players also seemed to have a number of unique side missions up for grabs in the BR mode. Similar to Warzone’s contracts, leaked settings revealed Operations like capturing zones, supply runs, and destroying bases in Tatanka.

However, given the recent news of a major rework and overhaul, along with its possible cancellation, it is unclear whether these leaks are still accurate. We’ll be sure to update you here as any further details emerge in the months ahead.