- Halo’s rumored extraction shooter, Project Ekur, has reportedly shifted to traditional gameplay.
- It is said that the development of the game may have also been handed over to Halo Studios from Certain Affinity.
- The same team previously also explored a battle royale take on the IP.
Xbox’s most iconic franchise is set to kick off a new era with the arrival of Halo Campaign Evolved. This remake marks the series’ debut on PlayStation, and Halo Studios is also working on various other projects for the IP, including a previously-rumored extraction shooter in collaboration with Certain Affinity.
An update on this project confirms that the team was indeed working on an extraction shooter game based on the Halo formula. However, it is said that this focus has now shifted away to more traditional Big Team Battle-style Halo gameplay.
Why it matters: With Marathon and PlayStation’s Fairgames going the extraction shooter route, it appeared this would be the next big trend for multiplayer titles. Many believed Halo was following suit for this reason.
According to popular Halo insider Rebs Gaming, the extraction shooter-based Halo project was only in production for a short while. This game, codenamed Project Ekur, was reportedly being prototyped as an Unreal Engine 5 test by developer Certain Affinity.
It is said that Certain Affinity pivoted to a more traditional Halo gameplay style, in line with Big Team Battle, as early as 2023 before moving forward with development. The insider noted that the team still kept a few elements of the extraction shooter formula intact.
However, the team was ultimately more interested in using Halo 5’s gameplay as a baseline when working on the game. Other ideas pitched by the team included playable Spartans and Elites with full customization.
They did explore an extraction shooter concept for Ekur. But they ended up going into more of a Big-Team-Battle idea rather than a traditional extraction shooter.
Rebs Gaming also notes that the development of the title may have shifted to Halo Studios from Certain Affinity at some point. As such, it appears Project Ekur is shaping up to be one of the more interesting future releases based on the series.
It should be noted that this is not the first time Certain Affinity’s work on the Halo series has seen such a major shift. The team was previously said to be working on Project Tatanka, a battle royale concept based on the franchise.
Ultimately, however, it seems the studio has returned to a more familiar approach after exploring both battle royale and extraction shooter gameplay for Halo.
What do you make of this pivot for Halo’s Project Ekur? Visit the Tech4Gamers Forums to discuss with other gamers and Halo fans.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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