343 Industries just released Halo merchandise that is licensed officially and has caused great excitement all over. On their Twitter page, the official Halo account unveiled the Gel Blaster Halo Plasma Blaster, stating it is the closest to real-life Covenant tech that you can get. Who would not like to act like a Spartan and slaughter some Elites in their backyard, right?
However, the Plasma “Blaster” is the main topic of discussion, and the enthusiasts are expressing their views/discontent about it. The tweet has a product shot of the famous Plasma Rifle in toy form, and it is calling it a Plasma “Blaster,” which is hard to swallow. And gamers instantly spotted it. Right after the proclamation was made, they were there.
User @2UnderK directly highlighted it by saying nothing but “Plasma ‘Blaster'” and using a facepalm emoji. Later, @amirsya813 composed a remark, “Might as well. Something did not come off right. I just came to know that they termed it as the ‘Plasma Blaster’ whereas it is the ‘Plasma RIFLE’.” Come, guys, this is one of the most iconic weapons from the original trilogy, and you do not even know its name correctly?
Yet the name problem is a mere trifle compared to the more serious one. The real issue is that many people are taking this merchandise announcement as an excuse to ask the developers where the Plasma Rifle has been in the games recently. @AlphaR117 posed the question “SOOO, why isn’t the gun featured in the newest game?” and there is a point – when did we last see the actual Plasma Rifle in a Halo game? Halo 5 did not include it, Infinite does not either… it has been MIA for quite a while now.
@_Rose_Graham put it really well: “It feels odd that there are Plasma Rifle toys, but the gun is not in the games anymore.” They are more like making toys of a weapon that has been rejected by most of the modern Halo players since it has not been in the recent games. If you ask, that is definitely some retrogressive thinking.
Next is @Psyko7274 who just said the bitter truth: “343 will do everything except bringing the plasma rifle back.” Ouch! But to be honest, the general consensus among the people scrutinizing the replies is that they feel the same way.
The whole thread resembles the most of the users being divided between those who are really excited about the toy and those who are taking this as an opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with the current Halo state.@sceptic__x was the one who pointed it out, tweeting “Funny how all the comments are just like ‘FIX THE GAME!!!!!!!!'” which is pretty much the general sentiment around.
There are evidently some people who like the blaster. @SpyingRyan was so thrilled he said, “YES PLEASE! I’ll duel wield these!” which sounds great until you remember that dual-wielding is not allowed in most modern Halo games but at least the toy version allows you to indulge in such fantasies.
Besides the fun conversations, people are also talking about the practical stuff. @AntonioAdkins17 started the topic about the price saying “Not a bad price” along with the link to the online seller. And @jerrynixon’s comment on “if it is painful to get hit” is a sign of the kind of questions that one needs answers to before deciding on purchasing a prop that is meant for shooting friends with.
Oh, but wait! I was going to talk about the whole thing that they are using-old-footage. @SkitzoSauce pointed out that they are “Using Halo Reach footage in 2025” to promote this product. Well, that does sound a little ridiculous to market something with content from a game that is already ten years old rather than being showcased with the current Halo content.
There are still more comments being added by users who argue whether or not the name change is important (@Jdog_4789 said “It’s the name of the T O Y lol not the actual weapon they ain’t changing that”) while others mention that at least the weapon did make an appearance in the intro cutscene of Halo 4 according to @ItsReaperWhy.
It is really strange how a simple product announcement can lead to a discussion on weapon rosters and game development priorities. Like @MarsJanuary noted, “of course there will be people complaining” but frankly? Sometimes they have a point. If they have decided to turn classic Halo elements into merchandise, then possibly those elements should also be included in the current games as well.
The Gel Blaster is no doubt a very cool toy – the neon green color fun to mess around with, and it shoots gel pellets that dissolve on contact. It is probably a lot better than being hit with an actual plasma bolt which would be catastrophic. Moreover, it is not like those extremely realistic airsoft guns that get you into trouble – one user @scenicresorts tweeted, “These shoot real bullets, hence, it is illegal in some places,” but I think they were actually talking about something quite different.
In the end, each player will have a different reaction to the new Halo merchandise alongside those who will be very happy, others will just regard it as more evidence that 343 has no clue about what the community really wants. The Plasma Rifle was a huge part of the early games; such a distinctive feature, just listen for the distinctive charging sound, see how it goes through shields, feel the satisfaction of dropping an Elite with sustained fire. Now it is just… gone from the games but available as a toy.
Is it so that 343 is just probing the public response before actually bringing the old Plasma Rifle back? Or is it purely the necessity of merchandising in the name of functionality? In both scenarios, the reactions to this announcement indicate that Halo players have not forgotten the classic weapons that initially made the franchise great and are not shy in asking for their return, but not to the merchandise; what they want are the classics back in the games.
So, you can purchase this Plasma Blaster product now, as it can be found through the link in the tweet. Just keep in mind that using it could trigger the memories of the time when the actual weapon was still in the games. And who knows, all this commotion might just convince 343 that it is time to really bring back one of Halo’s most iconic weapons.
