The rumor mill has struck again, this time claiming that 343 Industries' Halo Infinite is currently the biggest and most expensive game in development, with a budget of over $500 million, which doesn't even include marketing costs. That's right, there's a rumor/report currently floating around that claims the next installment in the Halo series is splurging half a billion on just development costs. The "report" comes way of German outlet Xbox Dynasty, where it's claimed that Halo Infinite's development costs currently dwarf even the likes of Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2. For those that don't know: Rockstar Games is well-known for dumping more resources into their games than basically everyone else in the industry. But apparently, Microsoft has given 343 Industries a blank check.

Of course, there's a multitude of reasons this should be taken with the biggest grain of salt you can find. For one, the source, Xbox Dynasty, doesn't have any history of reliable scoops. In other words, this isn't Kotaku or Wall Street Journal, and that matters.

Second, it's difficult to imagine Microsoft would greenlight 343 Industries to spend over $500 million just in development costs. If the $500 million included marketing costs, that would be one thing, but what the heck could 343 Industries be making that it needs to spend that kind of money?

Three, Halo Infinite is a shooter. Sure, 343 Industries has talked about the game as a step-forward for the series, in fact, there's been plenty of chatter from 343 itself and reports elsewhere hyping up the game's ambition. But we're talking Halo -- it's going to be a shooter at heart. And the most expensive shooters in history -- Destiny, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, etc. -- never eclipsed the $300 million mark, let alone $500 million. Unless this is going to be the most revolutionary shooter ever, it just doesn't make any sense.

That all said, it's possible this rumor is accurate, or at least close to accurate. It's improbable, but it's possible. Alas, you never know with the rumor mill.

Halo Infinite is officially in development for PC and Xbox One. At the moment of publishing, there's been no word of a release date or even a release window. For more news, media, and information on the highly-anticipated shooter, click here.

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