Halo Infinite: Why We Fight

In December 2016, the team underwent significant changes, marked by the departure of several key members. The reception of Halo 5’s campaign had been underwhelming, and it was clear that the team needed to rediscover the essence of Halo.

This video was presented at a Halo Team All-Hands meeting in early February 2017. Its purpose was to amplify the vision and voices driving the next Halo title. My goal was to capture the team’s beliefs about Halo—what made it unique and why it resonated. The intention was to uncover a shared thread among the three design directors to ensure the game’s core creative vision would shine through. While producing videos like this wasn’t part of my core role at Halo, I felt compelled to contribute. I understood that getting this Halo game right was critical—not just for the franchise but for the future of 343. I volunteered to help, even though I couldn’t have predicted that six months later, I would ask to join the game team. That decision was fueled by a deep desire to create a Halo experience that honored Bungie’s legacy, particularly the spirit of Halo: Combat Evolved.

This video offers glimpses of the ‘refocused’ core creative vision: fostering a sense of isolation, emphasizing player agency to discover objectives organically without handholding, inviting players to immerse themselves in a vast world where they could create their own stories, and celebrating Master Chief as the steadfast hero. These principles became the foundation of Halo Infinite. However, it was still early days, and much of what was showcased in the video was either reimagined or cut as the engine and technology evolved.