The UNSC Infinity lies wrecked on the surface of Zeta Halo. According to the lore attached to the art, the ship has started to merge with the environment around it, and what’s left of it now gives sanctuary to the soldiers who survived.
That’s one image from a Halo game that, at this point, will almost certainly never exist.
A large collection of concept art that seems to be tied to Halo 7 has surfaced. It shows where Master Chief’s story might have gone after Halo Infinite if the franchise had stayed with Halo Studios (better known by its old name, 343 Industries).
The source is about as official as it gets. The art appeared on the Halo Waypoint website, in the final post of the Canon Fodder series.
A goodbye with a parting gift
The post is the 171st and final chapter of Canon Fodder, and it’s titled “Heart and Soell.” In it, franchise writers Alex Wakeford and Jeff Easterling said goodbye to the community after nearly 12 years of posts. They left behind a batch of never-before-seen images of the Halo universe as a parting gift.
The timing is what makes it sting. The team is getting ready to hand over the reins of the franchise, and you can feel that in the post.
Snow, jungle and towers in the sea
The standout pieces are new depictions of Zeta Halo. You get vast snowy terrain, dense jungles, Banished installations built into trees and the ancient ruins of a forgotten human civilization.
One image shows Master Chief exploring underground structures. In another, colossal Forerunner towers rise out of the sea.
The deep-lore crowd will want to linger on the reveals about the Xalanyn, the mysterious Primordial and the Flood containment facilities. The material shows creatures, technologies and locations that could have formed the foundation of a big sequel to Halo Infinite.
Why you won’t be playing any of this
In case you missed it, Microsoft officially announced on Sept. 22 that Activision is taking over development of the next Halo with a newly formed team. Halo Studios, meanwhile, has been hit with heavy layoffs and will now be limited to supporting existing titles.
So the next chapter of the series will likely take a completely different creative direction.
Keep your expectations in check, too. These are concept sketches and illustrations, not gameplay screenshots of Halo 7. Plenty of concept art has stayed concept art and never made it into a game.
Even so, the images are a fascinating look at what a Halo Infinite sequel could have been.
With the next Halo now in Activision’s hands, it’s highly unlikely this particular version of the story ever becomes a game. The full collection is in the last Canon Fodder post.
And somewhere in that gallery, the Infinity is still sitting on Zeta Halo, slowly becoming part of the ring.
