Rumours are circulating that the Halo games could be one of the next Xbox exclusive series to be ported to the PlayStation 5, as part of Xbox’s decision to fully embrace third-party gaming.
Now I’m sure if this is true the internet will be completely normal, with civil discussions as far as the eye can see and a sect of Xbox fans welcoming PlayStation to the game with open arms.
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Sarcasms aside, I genuinely think the Halo games coming to PlayStation is possibly one of the best things that can be done for it, and here’s why.
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The first reason is that it’s in dire need of a new audience. Ever since Xbox handed the keys over to 343 Industries, fans who either grew up or first experienced the series through Bungie’s games have gradually left the building. While I wouldn’t necessarily call 343’s games bad, I would say the majority of them strayed a bit too far from the originals too quickly.
New ideas are great, and I think the world-building 343 has done with the Forerunners, Promethians and Precursors is all good stuff, I just don’t think it was done with the right tempo. That being said, I think they did the best with what they had, as Bungie had done a great job of wrapping up the war with the Covenant and The Flood, so some sort of new threat was needed.
While Halo: Infinite felt like a breath of fresh air, I think the majority of the damage to the fanbase has already been done, with a reluctance to give 343 a second chance.
Porting the series to PlayStation would open it up to an entirely new audience who’ve probably never played a Halo game before. It might even catch the eye of people who not only left Halo behind, but left Xbox behind as well to pick it up again and see what it missed.
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That’s not even considering the boost in income Xbox’s flagship title available on another platform could generate. They could even take things a step further and get the games on the Nintendo Switch too, as I’m sure a lot of people who don’t have a Steam Deck would love to play the game portably, whether they’re old or new fans.
There’s also the games themselves just generally being well-suited for PlayStation. Take a look at Helldivers 2, a game that prides itself on just being pure, silly fun. That, to me, is what Halo was before Halo 4 started shifting the tone to something more serious.
Sure the campaigns had their moments, and Halo: Reach’s was straight-up depressing at the best of times, but the characters and gameplay lended themselves to humour, especially the multiplayer.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection could very well be PlayStation’s next Helldivers 2, especially if you get players on those Halo 3 and Halo: Reach custom-games - they were always bangers. Bonus points if cross-play is supported, as lobbies with players from Xbox, PC and PlayStation would be a sight to behold.
As a quick side note, it’d also be nice to see the game ported with some DualSense features as well. Haptic-feedback for weapon reloads and vehicles would feel incredible for a game like Halo: Reach, and hearing Cortana speak to the player through the PS5 controller would be spectacular to see.
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The final reason is arguably the strongest tool in PlayStation’s arsenal, PlayStation Plus. The Halo games have been solid additions to Xbox Game Pass for years now, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. While I don't know the exact stats I’d imagine they’re still popular additions, as anyone who gets a new Xbox will likely be inclined to check them out first over Xbox’s other exclusives.
If the Halo games got ported to PlayStation, they’d feel right at home on PlayStation Plus. The subscription service gives you that peace of mind for when you want to try a game but you’re not sure if you’ll like it long-term. While I’d recommend the Halo games to everyone, I know many people who aren’t fans of shooters, and if they are, they like them a bit more grounded and realistic.
You wouldn’t even need to do this for Halo: Infinite either, as that’s already a free-to-play game and while there’s a lot of controversy surrounding the in-game store the updates it's received for multiplayer mods and additions to the sandbox have given it a new lease on life.
If I could hop into a Discord channel on my Xbox and play some Halo 3 campaign levels with a friend on PlayStation, I'd do so in a heartbeat, and I’m talking as someone who’s been primarily playing Xbox since childhood.
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Halo is in a deep, dark, pit right now. It’s disjointed, struggling to find or reclaim its identity and it needs some drastic changes to become the king of story and multiplayer gaming that it once was.
If Xbox is confident that it can get the games working on the PlayStation 5, I fully support it, and I’d be interested to see where it leads in terms of potential crossovers with other PlayStation IPs, like having Spartan armour in Helldivers 2.
Featured Image Credit: Xbox Game StudiosTopics: Halo, Halo Infinite, Xbox, PlayStation, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft, Sony