“It would have ROCKED!”: Today I learned a Halo dev prototyped an Alien crossover — here’s what it looked like

"It would have ROCKED!": Today I learned a Halo dev prototyped an Alien crossover — here's what it looked like

As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia and a twinge of what-could-have-been when I stumbled upon Eric Arroyo’s Alien crossover concepts for Halo 3. Having grown up on the original Alien film and immersed myself in the Halo universe since its debut, the idea of Master Chief squaring off against a Xenomorph was always an exhilarating fantasy.


Have you ever pondered over the idea of Master Chief squaring off against a Xenomorph? As a huge Halo enthusiast, this hypothetical battle has crossed my mind since I first watched the original Alien movie, and I’m certain many other sci-fi aficionados would find it an exhilarating spectacle. Regrettably, the likelihood of such a confrontation appearing in any official content is quite low; however, today, I stumbled upon some intriguing information suggesting that this concept might have come remarkably close to becoming a reality.

The reason for this is that I’ve encountered ideas and visual representations, which were crafted by Eric Arroyo – a key figure in 2D/3D character and vehicle design who contributed to Bungie’s Halo series, specifically Halo: Combat Evolved (2001), Halo 2 (2004), and Halo 3 (2007) – that depict a hypothetical Alien crossover he devised during the development of the final game in the trilogy. You can find these illustrations on his ArtStation profile, linked here or further down; the crossover images are located at the end of the post.

“If Master Chief had rounded that corner and encountered these Xenomorphs, it would have been an amazing sight!” This note from Arroyo describes the images of a Xenomorph he created for Halo 3. Notably, this creature was completely modeled, textured, and appears to be roughly the same size as a Covenant Elite or Brute within the game.

"It would have ROCKED!": Today I learned a Halo dev prototyped an Alien crossover — here's what it looked like

“Arroyo notes that what you see here is a character model resembling a Warrior/Drone, as seen in the movie Aliens. He designed this model with the intention of blending elements from Halo and Aliens within the Halo 3 game engine. In terms of details, the model boasts approximately 3,700 polygons – Master Chief’s model has 5,000 for comparison. The texture on this model is a bump map, which was meticulously drawn by hand in Photoshop. It took Arroyo about 10 days to complete the prototype.”

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but ponder over the intriguing concept of a potential crossover between Master Chief and the Xenomorph, but it seems that such an event never materialized, whether it was a planned collaboration or simply Arroyo’s personal creative endeavor. Yet, the thought experiment of envisioning this encounter is thrilling! How would these iconic entities interact in Halo 3? I find myself lost in imagining the Xenomorph’s clash with the UNSC marines and Spartans, the Covenant Empire, and the terrifying Flood organisms. What a spectacle it would be!

In a hypothetical scenario, it is likely that Xenomorphs would overwhelm standard UNSC soldiers, but they might find battles against Spartans, powerful and skilled alien Covenant, and the Flood to be more balanced. There’s also an intriguing possibility that a Xenomorph could become infected by the Flood, leading to the emergence of a new, even more fearsome form of Flood creature, one that has not yet been seen in Halo games.

"It would have ROCKED!": Today I learned a Halo dev prototyped an Alien crossover — here's what it looked like

Definitely check out the rest of Arroyo’s ArtStation post, as it showcases numerous other ideas and designs he developed for Halo during his time at Bungie. It offers detailed notes and technical insights into the creative process, providing fans with an intimate look at how some of the franchise’s beloved characters and vehicles were brought to life.

“Years ago, I was the lead artist behind Halo 1, 2, and 3. It was an incredible experience and honor to design the enduring appearances for Master Chief, Cortana, the Warthog, and numerous other significant elements that contributed to Halo’s unique identity. In addition to creating countless items throughout the series, I also constructed levels from the ground up, such as the Trench Run, and shaped design with innovative ideas like Gravity Anchor/Elevator. I’m proud to say that I also introduced new vehicle types, including the Mongoose and the Brute Chopper – a vehicle design I still cherish as one of my best works to date.”

All the Halo games that Arroyo contributed to can be played on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC (via Steam or Microsoft Store) with the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This package retails at $39.99 and encompasses Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4, as well as remastered versions of the first two games. Additionally, it’s accessible through Xbox Game Pass, and is widely recognized as one of the best Xbox and PC games available.

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2024-08-22 01:09