Halo Devs Pitched A “Really Dark” Halo Game, And Many More That Never Got Made

A former Halo developer has commented on the many ideas for new Halo games that were pitched to higher-ups, including one concept that was “really dark.”

Kevin Schmitt, who worked at 343 Industries for 12 years, replied to a thread on social media about ideas for Halo games that never got made. Schmitt said the team pitched as many as 30 games that he believed would have “totally worked in the Halo universe.”

“Many [single-player] & [multiplayer] ODST-themed ones. Some galaxy-spanning, some more intimate…and one that was really dark. lol,” he wrote.

After that post took off, Schmitt clarified that there are “thousands of reasons” why a pitch for a game never actually materializes, and it might not be what you think. “It’s rarely corpo greed or some other nefarious reason. I find it’s a lot about timing,” Schmitt said.

Schmitt worked at 343 from 2011 to 2023, contributing to games like Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo Infinite. Schmitt now works at Epic Games as a senior designer.

In another post, Schmitt was asked for his thoughts on the reported behind-the-scenes issues at 343 Industries. Schmitt replied, “Oh boy, how I wish I could answer this. lol.”

A former Halo developer said in 2023 that 343 Industries had “incompetent leadership.” Reporter Jason Schreier, meanwhile, said 343 faced issues including a reliance on contract workers and problems with the Halo development tools.

It was reported that 343’s issues were so severe that the team was taken off development of the Halo series and would instead oversee the franchise as other teams worked on it. 343 denied these reports, saying it will continue to work on the franchise and create “epic” stories.

Halo Infinite is the newest entry in the main series, and it’s still getting new updates as part of 343’s live-service approach, though the company has abandoned plans for dedicated seasons.