Update: 343 Industries has removed Breakout from the Halo World Championship
Original story:
A poll of players from Halo 5: Guardians‘ pro league suggests that 343 Industries’ flagship competitive game mode may not be as popular as the developer would like.
Making its debut in Halo 5, Breakout was lauded as the title’s foray into the competitive industry, something that the series lacked in with Halo 4. The mode pits teams of 4 in specially designed ‘sports’ arenas with lowered shields, SMG/pistol starts, and an round-based elimination spin on traditional multiplayer.
By focusing heavily on team-play and small-scale tactical engagements, Breakout was designed to be the forefront game mode of Halo 5‘s competitive scene.
After launch, the community was divided in its opinion of the new game mode – some enjoyed the change of pace, while others found it a jarring contrast to Halo‘s traditional multiplayer model. To encourage more engagement, 343 Industries have now introduced a Breakout playlist that features community-made Forge maps.
One of the Breakout maps that launched with Halo 5: Guardians
To this end, a member of the Team Beyond community took it on themselves to poll some members of the pro league, gauging the general opinion of Breakout from the perspective of those having to play it in the pro circuit.
If the findings are to be believed, 90% of pro players who were polled said they would rather Breakout not appear in the Halo World Championship.
Note: The poll was based on answers from 40 pro players and posted via the Team Beyond forums
This is surprising given that Halo 5‘s Breakout mode – and arguably the game’s entire multiplayer experience – was specifically designed for pro players.
The poll goes on to show that:
- 40% of players questioned think the radar should be disabled in the World Championship, and;
- 37.5% believe automatic rifles should be re-balanced.
I personally really enjoy Breakout – it takes the traditional Halo experience and turns it on its head, forcing players to work together to eliminate the enemy team.
The SMG/pistol start – with a couple of strategically placed Battle Rifles in the field – also forces a more careful approach to close-quarters combat, and pushes a lot of players out of their comfort zone (away from the traditional Assault Rifle/Battle Rifle start).
Of course, it’s understandably not for everyone – whether that’s because it’s found in the Arena playlist as well as its own Breakout playlist, which some argue ruins Arena’s pace, or because it’s such a contrast to the series’ traditional style gameplay.
An alternative to completely removing it from the World Championship could be creating an entirely separate tournament specifically for Breakout, which I find is an interesting concept worth pursuing.
Nevertheless, we’ll have to wait and see if 343 Industries makes anything of the data, or if the developer sticks to its guns.