As Helldivers II is currently being a huge success on Steam, many Halo fans have wondered why 343 Industries never developed something similar with ODST, as the Helldivers are very similar to the Helljumpers (informal name of ODST) in both how they look and operate.
Well... it turns out 343 didn't want it. Ex-members from the studio have revealed that a game with a concept almost exactly like Helldivers II was pitched, but ultimately turned down for unknown reasons. This made another ex-343 developer, Kevin Schmitt, explain on X how hard it is to make projects real:
"We must have pitched 20-30 game ideas over the 12 years I was there that would have totally worked in the Halo universe. Many SP & MP ODST themed ones. Some galaxy-spanning, some more intimate...and one that was really dark. lol."
So if you've ever wondered why there are any Halo Mega Bloks games, The Flood horror titles, third-person Halo adventures, ODST action fests with 100 vs 100 players, Spartan battle royales and something Helldivers inspired - the answer seems to be that it has been suggested, but 343 Industries didn't believe in the idea.
Instead they have mainly focused on fairly classic Halo with Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite. While really good games, it still seems like a huge waste of potential to not explore the Halo universe in a better way. Ironically enough, when they have tried something else like with Halo Wars, the result has been really good, which unfortunately hasn't encouraged the studio to continue investing in new ideas.
<social>https://twitter.com/kevindschmitt/status/1759296817689395286</social>