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Halo Infinite crossovers get even weirder with Solitaire and Mahjong

By Eric Abent/

Halo is turning 20 this year and the crossovers are running deep. Microsoft has already launched a few different Halo crossovers for the big anniversary – the weirdest of which being one with Waze in which Halo characters and vehicles take over your daily commute – but now, we're seeing an entirely new one that's bringing the world of Halo to Solitaire and Mahjong.

Yes, Microsoft has announced a new Halo-themed crossover with some of its casual games. In Solitaire, the standard deck of cards has been given a Halo makeover that not only includes a Halo-inspired design on the back of the cards, but also new face cards that feature characters from the Halo universe. In Mahjong, we see a similar Halo theme on each of the tiles.

Solitare and Mahjong were both released as part of the Microsoft Casual Games brand. Solitaire is available on PC and mobile as the Microsoft Solitaire Collection, while Microsoft Mahjong is only available on mobile for now. The Microsoft Solitaire Collection is even available through Xbox Game Pass for PC, though both games are free-to-play.

Admittedly, it's a little strange to see a Halo crossover for Microsoft's casual games like Solitaire and Mahjong, but it does make sense. Halo Infinite is unquestionably the biggest release of the year for Xbox Series X, and Microsoft is going to look to drive hype in whatever way it can. It isn't hard to imagine that the Microsoft Solitaire Collection and Microsoft Mahjong both have huge player bases, and if that's the case, then the appeal of putting Halo in front of those players makes even more sense.

After a lot of waiting, Halo Infinite finally has a release date: December 8th, 2021. 343 Industries is confident that it can stick to that release date, but with a few months to go before the big day rolls around, anything can happen. We'll probably hear of more Halo crossovers in the weeks to come, so stay tuned.

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