‘Halo Infinite’ May Have A ‘Second Cortana’

An eagle-eyed Twitter user discovered a clue in the “Halo Infinite” trailer that leads to a website that possibly reveals a “second” Cortana in the game.

Twitter user @Xepyal was watching the “Discover Hope” trailer for “Halo Infinite” when the netizen saw something that caught his attention. After closly studying the trailer and watching it over and over, he realized that the red lights that appear in Master Chief’s visor when he wakes up form something, and so he decided to look into it.

The netizen took several screenshots of that part in the trailer and managed to form a functioning QR code that, when scanned, leads to a website that features nothing but a 40-second audio recording.

Those who listen to the recording will hear the sound of heavy footsteps, the sound of someone interacting with a terminal, and the voice of the in-game AI, Cortana, saying a few lines:

“This...This is part of me. I don't know why...I don't know how...but it is me.”

Speculations

Windows Central noted that Cortana’s dialogue is cryptic, and that nothing is clear about what is played in the recording including what Cortana says. It does “imply,” however, that there could be a “second” Cortana in the game, or that a part of the AI has been separated and has formed its own unique identity.

GamesRadar noted that Cortana has been “literally scatterbrained” since the end of “Halo 4.” While she played a different role in “Halo 5: Guardians,” the new teaser could imply that she has found a fragment of herself dating from long ago, or that it’s another Cortana discovering traces of who she was and what she did in “Halo 5.” It’s unknown at the moment.

It’s also speculated that the footsteps could be Master Chief’s, indicating the possibility that he would be the one interacting with the terminal and speaking with Cortana. Given that the Master Chief prefers one-liners over whole paragraphs of dialogue, it’s likely that he’d be silent as Cortana speaks to him.

IGN noted how the official Halo Twitter account responded to Xepyal with a GIF of Catherine Halsey saying “Took you long enough,” indicating that the “secret” was deliberately placed there for players to find.

“Halo Infinite” will be a launch game for the upcoming Xbox Project Scarlett, which will be released sometime in 2020.