Brand-new details about the rumored Halo extraction shooter have just appeared online. Known as ‘Project Ekur’, this Halo extraction shooter would have reportedly featured playable Spartans and Brutes, and would have bridged the gap between Halo Infinite and the next mainline entry in the sci-fi series.
Back in April, it was leaked that Halo‘s long-rumored battle royale project (known as ‘Tatanka’) had been canceled in favor of an extraction shooter. Then in July, the same leaker claimed that this extraction shooter had also been canceled. According to the leaker (Rebs Gaming), Halo‘s Project Ekur extraction shooter was ultimately canceled due to mismanagement on the part of Halo Studios head Pierre Hintze, who allegedly caused studio-wide confusion by changing the direction of Project Ekur repeatedly.
More Halo Project ‘Tatanka’ and ‘Ekur’ Details Leak
A few days ago, well-known Halo YouTuber HiddenXperia released a video revealing some brand-new details about both Project Tatanka and Project Ekur, obtained from anonymous sources close to their development. HiddenXperia starts by giving an overview of Project Tatanka, stating that it was set to be a conventional Halo battle royale game with an overworld built from classic Halo multiplayer maps like Lockout, Ascension, Sanctuary, and Blood Gulch. Players would have to scavenge weapons and upgrade them via workbenches, while Pelicans would drop vehicles later on in a match.
According to HiddenXperia’s sources, Project Tatanka was then canceled, and its bones were used to form Project Ekur, an extraction shooter where players would suit up as either a UNSC Spartan or Banished Brute. Project Ekur’s story would revolve around a Flood outbreak on Zeta Halo, reportedly leading right into the events of Halo 7‘s story. Ekur’s core gameplay loop would see players trying to complete faction missions while facing off against enemy players and AI-controlled Flood. Opposing squads would have to occasionally work together to defeat larger Flood enemy types.
Playing as a Spartan would grant players a midair hover ability, while playing as a Brute would give them a melee charge attack. Specific Kits could also be chosen at the start of a match, giving players unique gadgets and abilities like a grapple hook, a ground pound, and a Halo 3: ODST-like VISR. This faction-based approach was then swapped out for a more character-focused system during Ekur’s development, bringing it more in line with a hero shooter. Rather than play as an unnamed Brute or Spartan, players would instead be assuming the role of pre-established characters like the Master Chief, Atriox, Halo Reach‘s Emile, and Halo 2‘s Tartarus.
During the reportedly troubled development of Halo: Campaign Evolved, the direction of Ekur’s development shifted once more, this time stripping the game of all its battle royale and extraction shooter elements and instead turning it into a more traditional Halo multiplayer experience. This Unreal Engine-powered entry was intended to be a live-service, standalone multiplayer Halo game, one that would continue to be updated while campaign experiences were produced separately. According to HiddenXperia, the “nail in the coffin” for Project Ekur was when a portion of the development team were moved over to Halo: Campaign Evolved.
- Released
-
December 8, 2021
- ESRB
-
T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Publisher(s)
-
Xbox Game Studios
