In the Halo universe, the Forerunners were an ancient and highly advanced race that was responsible for shaping the entire galaxy and its structural foundations. The Forerunners had the Mantle of Responsibility, an idea that established their role as the protectors of other weaker species.
However, the Forerunners’ downfall came due to a war with the Flood. This event led to the activation of the Halo Array, which ended up wiping out all life in the galaxy, including themselves. Given the fact that they had the technology to reestablish themselves through reseeding, many wonder why they didn’t choose to do so. However, there’s a pretty clear reason behind this.
Forerunners gave up on the Mantle after the Flood war
Halo fans have always been told that the Forerunner civilization was built upon the belief that they were the true inheritors of the Mantle of Responsibility. It wasn’t just any kind of cultural thing; this ideology was engraved into their identity. For Forerunners, the Mantle was the ultimate truth and something that helped them justify their rule.
However, when the Flood arrived on the scene, everything that the Forerunners believed in shattered. Not only did the parasite prove to be a deadly threat, but it also contradicted everything that the Forerunners did. The Flood brought the harsh truth that the Mantle was never really meant for the Forerunners.
The Halo Array was Forerunners’ last measure to strike back against the Flood. It brought mass extermination, which was something against the principles of protection. The remaining Forerunners could only relive the horrors of their failures. They couldn’t put an end to the Flood without going for a full genocide and proved themselves to be unworthy of the Mantle.
After realizing that everything that the civilization worshipped was a lie and that their leadership was a failure, all the remaining Forerunners went into exile instead of reseeding. If they had chosen to rise again, it would have meant another attempt at claiming a responsibility that they failed terribly the first time.
The remaining Forerunners decided to take a departure and allow humanity to take the role that they felt was for them. For Forerunners, the best way to pay for their sins was to vanish and let another species take the Mantle of Responsibility.
New Halo game announcement could happen in 2025
A few months ago, Xbox’s Halo team, 343 Industries, underwent a massive change. Firstly, the studio announced that it’s renaming to Halo Studios, confirming that its sole focus is still the FPS franchise. Alongside the studio’s name change, it was also confirmed that Halo is moving from Slipspace Engine to Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 for all future entries.
Now, it looks like Halo Studios is ready for another game. Reputable industry insider Rebs Gaming has posted a video on YouTube talking about a new Xbox LinkedIn post that links Halo Studio’s expanded playtesting setup.
According to the post, the Project Foundry Team’s work on Unreal explorations included a playtest where various artists and designers played maps similar to those in active production. It’s the mention of maps in production that makes Rebs Gaming think that a Halo announcement could be coming soon.
If a new Halo game is truly on the cards for a reveal this year, it would mean that it might be released in 2026 or 2027, or later, depending on the scope. When might Microsoft reveal the game? Well, it’s likely that it could happen at Xbox’s annual Summer Game Fest showcase, which is set to happen in June.
With that said, why do you think Forerunners chose not to reseed themselves in Halo? Let us know in the comments below.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
