In just two weeks, Helldivers II It has become one of the biggest releases of 2024. With almost half a million players on PC alone, it is clear that everyone is enjoying this title. Of course, everyone except Xbox users. However, the story could have been quite different, since it has been revealed that the Halo developers were behind a project that sounds very similar to the concept that Arrowhead Game Studios has presented to usbut which, unfortunately, never saw the light of day.
Recently, the user known as The Photoshop Guy revealed that some developers at 343 Industries even considered a game of Halo ODST which was very similar to what Helldivers II offers us right now. Along with this, leaks_infinite, an account that specializes in leaks and rumors of this series, noted that it heard something similar in 2022.
Ironically this is something we heard about in 2022 funny enough.
Not sure when the pitch happened, just that it apparently existed at some point.—Halo Leaks (@leaks_infinite) February 18, 2024
While this all sounds like just a rumor, Kevin Schmitt, a former Halo Infinite senior designer who worked at 343 Industries between 2012 and 2023, joined the conversation, and He mentioned that during his involvement with the Halo series, he proposed between 20 and 30 games that never saw the light of day. This is what he commented:
“We must have come up with 20 to 30 game ideas over the 12 years I was there that would have worked well in the Halo universe. Many ODST-themed single-player and multiplayer. Some spanned galaxies, others were more intimate… and one was really dark.
I've been in game development for almost 30 years. I possibly proposed over 100 games. There are thousands of reasons why they are not done. Rarely is it corporate greed or some other nefarious motive. “I think it’s a lot about finding the time.”
We must have pitched 20-30 game ideas over the 12 years I was there that would have totally worked in the Halo universe. Many SP & MP ODST themed ones. Some galaxy-spanning, some more intimate…and one that was really dark. lol.
— Kevin Schmitt (@kevindschmitt) February 18, 2024
Although Schmitt does not specifically mention a game like Helldivers IIit's not hard to imagine that the team behind Halo ODST considered making a title focused on PvE multiplayer where players would have to take the role of the Spartans and defeat hordes and hordes of Covenant members. However, as the developer mentions, It's all a matter of time, and it's likely that this idea simply didn't have a promising future at the time.
One of the reasons why Helldivers II has managed to connect with the public, is that it offers a PvE multiplayer experience that makes great use of its game-as-a-service style to constantly offer content and modify many sections of the experience in real time. This is something that probably was not possible when 343 Industries considered making a Halo ODST similar to the main idea of the work of Arrowhead Game Studios.
Unfortunately, Helldivers II It is currently not available on Xbox, and although PlayStation were responsible for the publication, the possibility that in the future we will see this title in Series X|S and even in Game Pass is not ruled out. On related topics, here you can check our review of Helldivers II. Likewise, the game's creators ask the public to no longer buy the game.
Editor's Note:
Helldivers II is a product of the industry right now, and its success is a consequence of the public reception, both negative and positive, of games as a service. Thus, it is likely that this idea would not have been such a success in the past, or in the future. It's a case of arriving at the right place at the right time.
Via: Kevin Schmitt
#Xbox #Helldivers #Atomix
