Halo Infinite devs responds to demands for popular Halo map remakes

Brad Norton
Halo Infinite artwork

Halo Infinite is set to launch in just five weeks and while six maps have been confirmed, none are remakes of household names in the franchise. In light of community demands, 343 Industries have now responded to the requests for certain map remakes.

It’s almost impossible to think of the Halo franchise without casting your mind back to certain maps. Whether it’s the iconic Blood Gulch, Guardian, or Lockout, Halo is largely known for having some of the best-designed maps in FPS history.

As a result, it’s no surprise when many of these classics are brought back in newer titles. We’ve seen Blood Gulch reimagined in six different games over the years, for example. But will Infinite follow a similar trend?

Although a handful of maps have already been revealed, none are direct remakes of old classics. There’s a good reason for that being the case, Multiplayer Lead Andrew Witts told IGN in a recent interview.

Halo Blood Gulch gameplay
Blood Gulch has appeared in every Halo barring ODST and 5.

Will Infinite focus on remakes down the line? “That question is something [343 Industries] actively talks about quite a bit,” Witts explained.

Ultimately, it boils down to the dev team wanting a “new” feeling throughout Infinite. Rather than giving players “the exact same layout” they’ve grown accustomed to, Multiplayer Level Designer Cayle George chimed in.

Instead, 343 would rather provide something fresh: “We’re a different game with different needs,” he added.

“There are some maps that have been coming out in almost every single iteration of Halo. So I wouldn’t say we would never do a remake, but again, we’re doing a spiritual reboot, so we look at how we kind of put our own twist on it.”

So the idea of incorporating older maps isn’t completely off the table for the first Halo launch in six years. But if classics are to return in the near future, expect a “nostalgia trip,” just not an exact replica.

Halo Infinite gameplay
New designs are the top priority in Halo Infinite.

Somewhere along the way during Infinite’s development, 343 even “tried one-to-one ports,” George claimed. However, “they don’t work well,” he said.

While the devs won’t be providing any direct remakes in Infinite, that’s not to say we won’t ever get to play on classic layouts in the new release. After all, with the reported power of Infinite’s Forge system, just about any fan-favorite could be brought back to life in no time at all.

About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com