Fans have waited a long time for a new Halo game, in fact, they’ve had to wait over 5 years.
It was thus even more devastating to hear that Halo Infinite had been delayed to 2021, meaning it missed the Xbox Series X/S launch date.
While 343 Industries have attempted to distract fans with great updates to the Master Chief Collection, it hasn’t healed the wounds of waiting for Chief’s next adventure.
Halo Infinite will bring an end to yet another trilogy in the franchise and we’re hopeful for a triumphant finale.
Even if you’re not a huge fan, you’ll be excited to know that Xbox Series X owners will be able to play the multiplayer for free!
Still, the game is expected to be one of Microsoft’s biggest titles as the company works to regain lost ground from the last generation.
Here’s everything we know about Halo Infinite.
Click the links below to read more about Halo Infinite:
- Latest News
- Release Date
- Delayed
- Platforms
- Beta
- Trailer
- Gameplay
- Cover Art
- Price
- Pre-Order
- Features And Changes
- Modes
- Campaign
- Multiplayer
- Free-To-Play
- Battle Pass
- Maps
- Weapons
- Vehicles
- Armor
- Microtransactions
- Customisation
- Progression
- Spartan Abilities
- Battle Royale
- Cross-Platform Play
- Split-Screen
- Soundtrack
- Budget
Latest News
New Update Coming This Week – 26th January
Brian «Ske7ch» Jarrard, 343 Industries’ Community Director, has made a post on Reddit stating that the studio plans to release a new update on Halo Infinite «this week.»
This is just the second update since the game was delayed last Summer.
According to Jarrard, this upcoming update will also be an Inside Infinite article. It will be centred around the game’s sandbox team and the vision its members have for Halo Infinite’s gameplay.
He said that «this won’t have world premier big screenshots or huge things like a date announce, but our goal is to offer our community more context and insights into our team and the game we’re making while we’re all awaiting the larger beats and full marketing machine later this year.»
He also said that 343 is committing to «at least monthly high-level updates.»
Battle Royale Not Happening? – 12th January
A post on the GamingLeaksAndRumours Subreddit stated that Battle Royale is not being added into Halo.
Instead, it will be replaced by Big Team Battle 2.0.
343 Lose Another Designer – 11th January
Kolbe Payne has left 343 Industries to take a position at studio Gunfire Games, developers of Darksiders: Genesis.
While we were initially worried, Payne has confirmed that the departure is due to his role as a contractor ending.
When Is The Halo Infinite Release Date?
Halo Infinite will release in Fall 2021.
Halo Infinite was originally planned to release in the holiday of 2020 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC.
A Survey reward got players excited that a Player Emblem would be sent to players on February 2021, potentially hinting that this could be when it releases.
There were also rumours that a release between March and June 2021 could be possible.
However, this is simply not the case.
What difference will a year make for Halo Infinite?
Why Was It Delayed?
A new Thurrott report claims that the delay was caused by the game being developed on a new engine while also targeting new hardware.
There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed significantly to the decision to delay.
All publishers have been hit with issues since transitioning to remote working.
If it wasn’t for the significant outcry of fans that expressed their disappointment in the state of Halo after the Campaign showcase last summer, it may well have been pushed as it was last Fall.
Platforms
We know that the game will launch on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC.
However, rumours were circulating that the game would be dropped on Xbox One; but this has since been clarified as not true.
343’s Community Manager cleared up previously reported suggestions and has squashed all worries.
But what about PlayStation or Nintendo Switch? It’s not likely to happen.
Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, recently commented on how he wants to bring Halo Infinite to PS4 to create «a connected ecosystem» for players.
Currently, there is no release date for the Halo Infinite Beta, but we expect it to happen in late summer early fall if there is one.
Halo Infinite Beta
Although we don’t know an official date for the Halo Infinite Beta, we have been assured there will be plenty of chances to play it before the full launch. 343 Industries will be hosting a pre-launch «Flighting Program» for Halo Infinite, very similar to their current Halo: Master Chief Collection test made up of numerous «opt-in flights».
These opt-in flights will «start small and slowly expand out until release» according to a Halo Waypoint post.
Many are expecting a beta of some sort to make an appearance in some form before the summer of 2021.
A public beta may likely be available to those that pre-order the new title.
Halo Infinite Trailers And Gameplay
Campaign Gameplay
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E3 2018 Announcement Trailer
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E3 2019 Discover Hope Trailer
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Cover Art
Price
We’re expecting the game to retail at £49.99-59.99, which is becoming the standard for a AAA title.
Those that have bought Halo Infinite on Xbox One will be able to upgrade for free on the Xbox Series X.
Read More: How To Get Halo Infinite For Free On Xbox Series X
Pre-Order
You can not currently pre-order Halo Infinite in the UK.
But a number of pre-order pages are setup already:
- Amazon
- GAME
- Steam
- ShopTo
- Currys
Features And Changes
While we’re not certain what new features will come in the new game, there was a lot of uproar at the potential of sprint returning to Halo.
A now-removed video saw a Halo pro player Richie «Heinz» Heinz playtesting the game. A user pointed out the correlation between his thumb action on the controller and what occurs on the screen.
It not only seems to confirm that sprint has returned, but requires a new button action to execute it.
One of Halo’s most well-respected community members, Mark «Onset» Hatcher, listed what he would like to see changed in the next game including:
- Upgraded Theatre Mode
- New Spectating/Observing Client
- Consistent Weapon Balancing
- New Maps
- Forge at launch
Modes
Modes are extremely important and we can assume that the usual modes will return including:
- Campaign
- Arena
- Warzone
- Forge
While we know that Arena and Campaign will return, there’s no official word on the other two.
We’d also love to see the return of Firefight, where players fight off waves of AI enemy combatants.
Campaign
Halo Infinite’s story mode is set years after the events of Halo 5.
At the conclusion of the Halo 5 ending, we are given a teaser of what seems to be a new Halo ring installation.
Cortana took an evil turn towards the back half of Halo 5.
The new game will take place on Zeta Halo, as confirmed by 343.
Zeta Halo was the subject of a trilogy of novels about the Forerunners, longtime players in the Halo franchise.
Humans were actually living on Zeta, as well as other wildlife (such as those seen in the original trailer), and Forerunner leader, Master Builder Faber, experimented on those poor souls in order to find a way to combat the Flood – the parasitic alien race that tends to get everywhere.
The gives ample opportunity to discover wildlife, hidden remains of humanity, and potentially quite spooky areas of the open world to uncover.
In a bizarre twist, the Banished (from Halo War 2) have arrived to create chaos. The Harbinger and Banished are working together to ‘honor the will of Atriox’.
The Banished Return
The game will feature some open-world elements, allowing players to explore areas as much as they want and allowing them to tackle tasks at their own pace.
But, it’s important to note that the worlds do have boundaries and limits. While it’s not a linear experience, it’s not open-ended.
According to associate creative director Paul Crocker, the game will have areas that can be revisited.
“The simple answer is that it takes place in a huge world that is open and expansive,» he explains. “We have a storyline that pulls you through it, which is effectively unlocking certain areas. But, as you progress through it, you have the ability to backtrack and explore to your heart’s content. There is a lot to find out in the world.”
Head of Design on Halo Infinite Jerry Hook has revealed brutes will throw grunts at players in Halo Infinite.
Hook also revealed that players should expect the AI to interact with the sandbox more than ever before.
Players can see their TACMAP, giving them an overview of the world and selecting their missions and strategy.
It also shows different mission types, perhaps allowing for side missions and quests other than those included in the main story.
An interview conducted by YouTuber Alanah Pearce has perhaps leaked the scale of Infinite’s campaign.
During the interview with the developers of Halo Infinite, she formed a question about whether or not we would be able to visit multiple worlds in Infinite; the developers said they’d want to keep some aspects secrets.
So, there is a good chance the world we begin our journey on in Infinite is not the only world we will visit!
It was rumoured that the Campaign and Multiplayer would release separately.
Multiplayer
Free-To-Play
343 have confirmed that Halo Infinite will be free-to-play on Xbox Series X.
Updated Visuals
Players will be able to enjoy up to 120 FPS and greatly reduced load times, alongside greatly updated visuals after what was deemed a disappointing showcase in June 2020.
How good does Halo Infinite look?
Battle Pass
Twitter user Klobrille posted a rather massive leak on Twitter last year stating that the game will have a Battle Pass system.
We can assume that the following items will be apart of the Halo battle pass if it happens:
- Skins
- Weapon Skins
- Vehicle Skins
- And More!
Game Modes
We’re hopeful that many returning game modes will appear in Halo Infinite, including some new ones.
You can expect the following to return:
- Assault
- Big Team Battle
- Capture The Flag
- Grifball
- Infection
- Slayer
- Team Slayer
- Strongholds
Maps
No maps have been confirmed for the multiplayer and only a few environments have been shown, so we can’t make any concrete assumptions.
However, over the years we’ve seen Halo maps reskinned and ported to the newer games time and time again. It’s unlikely this year will be any different.
Maps like Lockout, Sanctuary, Blood Gulch/Valhalla, Stonetown/Zanzibar and Wizard have made more than their fair share of appearances and are fan favourites.
While there’s a clear desire for new, fresh and inspiring maps, we have no doubt fans would be happy to see a few reincarnated in Halo Infinite.
Read More: Halo Infinite: Multiplayer Maps That Should Return In Halo’s New Release
Weapons
These are the confirmed weapons based on gameplay and other sources:
Rifles
- MA Series Assault Rifle
- VK78 Commando
- BR55 Battle Rifle
- Pulse Carbine
SMGs
- Needler
Shotguns
- CQS48 Bulldog
Pistols
- Plasma Pistol
- MK50 Sidekick
- Mangler
Launchers
- Ravager
Melee
- Energy Sword
Grenades
- Frag Grenade
- Plasma Grenade
- Spike Grenade
Power-Ups
- Grapple Hook
- Thrust
- Overshield
- Drop Wall
- Shock device
- Fusion Coil (TBC)
Read More: Halo Infinite Will Offer Grappling Hooks, Alongside Classic Arena Combat
Vehicles
Here are the confirmed vehicles in Halo Infinite:
- Warthog
Armor
Armor is always a hot topic in Halo and a great way to personalise your Spartan.
We already know that they’re bringing back the straight black undersuits that the community clamoured for. Halo 5 introduced a number of ways to add your own creative flair using REC packs.
Could Halo Infinite introduce the popular battle pass system seen in so many FPS games in recent times? Perhaps with tiered rewards that allow you to gain custom skins, armor, titles and more.
There are so many fantastic armor sets that could make a return including the Hayabusa, Scout, Mk V, EOD, EVA and more.
Microtransactions, Customisation And Progression
According to Ryan Paradis, Design Director for the Live Team, the team wants to avoid Infinite being a «grind-machine».
«We’re not trying to build a grind-machine that burns everyone out in an attempt to get more game time from them. Halo Infinite needs to be a place where we all look forward to spending time,» he explains.
The team is also promising «no loot boxes, no randomness in rewards», while also confirming that all rewards will be cosmetic only and won’t affect the gameplay.
343 Industries have spoken about the new coating system on a new blog post.
“Coloration, along with materials and patterns, will now be baked into the coating, taking the place of the primary/secondary armor color options found in prior games,» the blog reads.
Scorpion Punch Armor Coating
Watchdog Armor Coating
Splinter Desert Armor Coating
Nobile Offender Armor Coating
Chris Blohm, the Lead Progression designer, confirms that there will still be in-game rewards earned through playing.
With Halo Infinite going free-to-play, it does mean that there will be some premium cosmetics, but players will still obtain tons of customization content through things like the campaign, challenges, skill, special events, legacy rewards (such as the Halo 5 SR 152 reward), the progression system, and more,» he notes.
Halo 5 SR 152 Armor Coating
Spartan Abilities
While little is known on the Spartan Abilities front, we’re expecting Sprint to return to the game as a core mechanic as shown in the campaign gameplay.
You may also notice a few Covenant characters using the Evade mechanic from Halo: Reach.
The Brutes also sport Jet Packs, which were also seen in Halo: Reach.
It also seems like you can execute a slide mechanic when sprinting; we’re expecting this to be a core mechanic.
Battle Royale
A Reddit post noted that the Japanese Xbox page for Halo Infinite; lists one of the genres for Infinite as a battle royale.
This comes as a bit of a surprise to many fans, as Halo has never featured a battle royal before; so this would be 343’s first stab into the genre.
Will Halo Infinite have a Battle Royale mode?
Cross-Platform Play
It’s believed that Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC players will all be able to play with each other.
While some are hopeful that the game will be available on PlayStation 5, it’s too unlikely at this point in time with a fierce console war unravelling between Sony and Microsoft.
Read More: Halo Infinite: Cross-Platform Play With PlayStation 5 And Project Scarlett?
Split-Screen
343 have confirmed that Halo Infinite will offer Split-Screen Co-Op.
Halo Infinite’s Head of Design Jerry Hook took to Twitter to confirm the support of co-op and split-screen in Halo Infinite.
Hook has confirmed players will be able to play the campaign in two-player splt-screen or four-player online co-op mode.
It’s unknown whether this will impact game performance or not.
We are assuming this will work for both Campaign and Multiplayer.
Soundtrack
The Halo Infinite Soundtrack has been described as «incredible» by mans fans that have listened so far.
Gareth Corker, perhaps best known for his work on the Ori franchise, has a long history of working in videogames, including Minecraft content, ARK, and Darksiders Genesis.
You can check out «Set a Fire in Your Heart» below.
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Budget
According to German website Xbox Dynasty, the budget for Halo Infinite is rumoured to be a staggering $500 million.
That would easily make it the most expensive video game project ever produced, with the developmental budget coming from Microsoft and 343 Industries.
Read More: Halo Infinite: Budget Rumoured To Be The Most Expensive Video Game Ever