Halo was inarguably one of the biggest video game franchises of the 2000s and early 2010s, and the success of the original trilogy helped to put the Xbox on the map. Sadly, the series' star has dimmed somewhat, and it hasn't been the system seller it once was. This was made worse by the fact that Halo Infinite, the franchise's sixth main entry, was delayed after being announced as an Xbox Series X launch title.
Halo Infinite is now slated to come out sometime this year, and there's a lot about the much anticipated first-person shooter that could revitalize the franchise's popularity. Here's what gamers should know about the ensuing return of Master Chief.
What Halo Infinite Is About
Halo Infinite is set after its predecessor, Halo 5: Guardians, which tread new ground for the series in many ways. It had Master Chief as only one of the main characters in the storyline, a first for the main series. However, Halo Infinite will reverse this and have Master Chief as a much more important and integral character in the plot.
The game's setting will be Installation 7, or Zeta Halo, making the tone closer to that of the earlier games. The villains are the Banished, who first appeared in the spin-off title Halo Wars 2. The third part of the "Reclaimer Saga," the story will apparently involve Master Chief's greatest battle ever to protect humanity. The game is also being worked on by Joseph Staten, who was previously the head writer and cinematic director when the series was handled by Bungie.
Halo Infinite's Latest Trailer
In the time since Halo Infinite's announcement, the game has received several trailers, all showcasing different gameplay modes. The announcement trailer from E3 2018 provided a brief look at Infinite's graphics engine before ending with a glimpse at Master Chief. The latest trailer, shown off at this year's E3, focused on the game's multiplayer, which will be entirely free to play. This mode will also bring back split-screen action, which was noticeably absent in the franchise's previous entry.
On October 25, just two months after a release date was confirmed, a new video highlighting the campaign was released. The trailer highlights a number of features, including the ability for Master Chief to upgrade his abilities and the choice to pick between stealth to dispatch enemies or go loud in the traditional Halo sense.
News to Know About Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite's much-desired multiplayer mode will be fine-tuned and optimized to embrace the franchise's legacy while being new-user friendly. The new Spartan Academy and Spartan Commander Laurette features will help new players by familiarizing them with the game's mechanics. Another new element is bot matches, which allow players to use simulations to practice for the heat of battle. It was also announced that the game will feature cross-play between Xbox consoles and PC.
Halo Infinite has been in the works since 2015, with 343 Industries originally developing it under the name Halo 6. While it was intended as a Series X|S launch title, the developers announced in August 2020 that the game would be delayed into 2021, citing concerns about meeting expectations and the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, it was announced that the game would release in late 2021, with a Holiday 2021 window being reconfirmed during E3.
After months of speculation, 343 Studios finally confirmed in August that Halo Infinite would release on December 8, 2021. However, it was confirmed that it would launch without a co-op campaign, nor would the Forge feature be available at launch. Since then, 343 has ran multiple beta tests for multiplayer. The game will be available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC at launch; thanks to the inclusion of Xbox's Play Anywhere program, purchasing the game for one system will allow access to the others. The campaign mode will set players back the standard $59.99, though it will be available on the Game Pass service day one. The game's highly anticipated multiplayer mode will also be available free of charge to all users.