Developed by Bungie, Halo: Combat Evolved is the game that jumpstarted Xbox’s tenure in the games industry, inextricably linking it to the green-armored Master Chief and his fight against the Covenant.
However, the game’s development was far from smooth, filled with late-stage changes and frantic efforts to meet deadlines. A recent interview with Combat Evolved‘s original developers sheds light on a particularly dramatic near-miss – the potential removal of the now-iconic Scorpion Tank mission.
Halo: Combat Evolved Only Came Together In Its Final Year
Bungie’s initial vision for Halo: Combat Evolved was vastly different from the final product. Originally planned as a Mac exclusive, the project only took shape in its final year right before it launched alongside the Xbox in 2001.
Speaking with Edge Magazine, original Bungie developers, including co-founder Alex Seropian and Chris Butcher, spoke about the challenges of making the game:
We made a lot of difficult decisions to make that [release] happen. We canceled [other] projects, we combined three teams together, we compromised on scope, [and] we shipped at least one level that we probably shouldn’t have.
Eight months before launch, which is when most studios start polishing their games, the core gameplay and features of Halo were still being worked on, with even weapons and set pieces not being entirely set in stone. However, this period also saw a now-beloved vehicle come dangerously close to being cut from the final game.
Bungie Initially Decided To Scrap The Scorpion Tank
The fate of the Scorpion Tank, which has become synonymous with the Halo experience, hung in the balance just four weeks before the game’s release. Lead programmer Chris Butcher revealed that designer John Howard made the call to cut the vehicle due to its technical shortcomings:
Four weeks before ship, John Howard decides we’re cutting the tank, because it’s not ready. The designer Paul Bertone was basically like ‘f*ck that, I’m not gonna listen to you, John – without the tank, this game sucks’.
Believing the tank to be crucial to the game’s overall feel, Bertone defied orders and rallied the artists and animators to keep the vehicle in the game, which paid off. The team dedicated themselves to a week and a half of intense work, pulling proverbial all-nighters to salvage the tank.
Their efforts were successful, as the tank was not only integrated, but also polished to a playable state. While this instance of “crunch” raises ethical concerns, it ultimately helped preserve a beloved aspect of Halo: Combat Evolved that would go on to be a defining factor for future games.
As evident by the story of the Scorpion Tank and the rest of the interview, the first Halo‘s development was quite turbulent, with developers facing intense pressure and having to make difficult decisions, as well as the occasional last-minute heroics that shaped the final product.
Despite the challenges, though, Halo: Combat Evolved‘s launch marked a turning point for Bungie and the Xbox, instantly making them a household name. While the two may be poles apart today, there’s no denying the greatness they created all those decades ago.
