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 challenging, and it was clear that the team needed to rediscover the essence of Halo.

The context of this video matters. This was made to be 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. This was never created with the aim for public consumption or to market anything beyond the goals and beliefs that the directors had for the game.

The intention was to uncover a shared thread among the three directors to ensure the game’s core creative vision would shine through and feel undeniably authentic. While producing videos was no longer my core role at Halo (343), I requested to help make this. I understood that getting this Halo game right was critical to the work that I was doing with Kiki Wolfkill—not just for the franchise but for the future of 343. I could not have predicted that six months later I would be asked to join the game team and eventually become the Narrative Experience Director. My personal desire to join was solely fueled by a deep desire to create a Halo experience that honored Bungie’s legacy, particularly the spirit of Halo: Combat Evolved. That game gave me my career and the wonder it created is such a deep well that I wanted to give that back to audiences.

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.