A deleted ‘Halo Infinite’ cutscene has surfaced

A never before seen Halo Infinite cinematic has been uncovered and gamers have already developed theories on what the 30-second clip could mean. Many have speculated it could signify the return of a beloved character, while others think it was removed for a reason and isn’t relevant to the Halo canon.

What happens? — In the cutscene, Fernando Esparza is awoken by a beeping noise. A robotic voice alerts him that a signal from another ship has been detected. Master Chief appears, and the robotic voice tells them that the signal is coming from a UNSC vessel. It then says, “Designation: friend,” and Master Chief and Esparza exchange a glance. Esparza appears a bit baffled, but it’s unclear exactly why he wears the tense expression.

What does it mean? — Some have speculated on who this UNSC “friend” could be. In the YouTube video’s comments section, most argue that it’s the Spirit of Fire, though some hope it’s referring to the arbiter. Others suggested that in this case, it’s referring to you, the gamer, and that the cutscene may have been created as a segue to a co-op mode (which has not been released).

Halo Infinite’s co-op isn’t live, but some have figured out a way to glitch the game into enabling its co-op mode. So it makes sense that if this cutscene was for a mode that hasn’t been released, the scene wouldn’t make it into the game until the mode is added.

Co-op is expected to arrive in about four months in Season 2, so fans might get déjà vu with this cutscene if developers include it upon release.