It has been quite the wait, but Halo Infinite is nearly here. First revealed during Microsoft’s E3 presentation in 2018, the highly anticipated game is scheduled to hit shelves this holiday season. Although we are less than six months away from its release, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the game.
Over the past two years, 343 Industries and Microsoft have been cautious about what content is offered to the public. We’ve seen two trailers, glimpsed at a bit of concept art, and even gone behind the scenes to check out the game’s development, yet most of Halo Infinite remains an enigma. Here’s everything we know about the next installment of the popular series.
Further reading
The facts at a glance
Release date: Holidays 2020
Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Microsoft
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
Much of what we know about Halo Infinite comes from the two trailers released by Microsoft. The first was the announcement trailer from E3 in 2018 — and although it didn’t reveal much, it did show off the new Slipspace engine.
That vague trailer was followed up with the Discover Hope trailer in 2019. This time, we watched Master Chief interact with a UNSC Marine after being rescued from orbit; then, he held a brief conversation with Cortana. There’s a lot more going on in this trailer than the one from 2018 — be sure to check it out below if you happened to miss it the first time around.
Other than these two trailers, we’ve also seen a bit of concept art from 343 Industries. While the images on their own didn’t reveal much, the accompanying blog post provided fans with some of the best Halo Infinite details to date.
Storyline details are scarce
Details surrounding Halo Infinite‘s narrative are still murky, but we do know one thing: Master Chief is the star of the show. Infinite will take place after the events of Guardians, and it sounds like players won’t be switching off between Chief and an auxiliary character, as they did in the last installment. In a post by Chris Lee, Studio Head at 343 Industries, he mentions that the team “heard feedback loud and clear on the amount of time spent playing as the Master Chief in Halo 5,” and that they will “focus on the Master Chief and continue his saga.”
Xbox tweeted a video teasing Master Chief as the central character in the game, honing in on the digits “117” branded on his armor, which refers to his other name of John-117.
Your legend makes it more than just a number. pic.twitter.com/8DUFGz3FsO
— Xbox (@Xbox) July 16, 2020
Outside of this, everything is speculation. Some fans believe that the destroyed ring in the trailers is Zeta, but 343 is yet to confirm these theories. Unless Halo Infinite wants to introduce a brand new ring; however, Zeta seems like a pretty good bet. Others believe Cortana might take on the role of villain, which, after the events of Guardians, could be a real possibility.
Multiplayer will not include a battle royale
With titles such as Fortnite and Apex Legends dominating the market, it’s only natural to think that Halo Infinite might jump on the battle royale bandwagon. However, it appears that the game won’t include such a mode — at least not at launch. Frank O’Connor from 343 Industries spells it out pretty clearly when he says that there are “no plans” for a battle royale mode.
As for multiplayer content that the game will include, fans can expect to see split-screen play, LAN support, and the return of the beloved Forge editing tool. This is a Halo game, after all, so fans will likely hear more about the robust multiplayer offerings shortly.
Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft Smart Delivery
Fans who pick up Halo Infinite on Xbox One won’t have to buy the game again when they upgrade to the Series X, as it will be a part of Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system. This means that all Xbox One copies come with an Xbox Series X version of the game at no additional cost.
Better yet, Halo Infinite will be included in the Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft has been trying to heavily promote this service by pumping it full of excellent first-party games, and something as popular as Halo Infinite is sure to give the platform a massive boost. Players interested in trying the service can usually get the first month for just a dollar, meaning it could be a cheap way to get your hands on the upcoming title.
Slipspace Engine
For the past few years, 343 Industries has been busy building a new engine for Halo Infinite. Lee claims that the new engine “empowers [the] creative teams to reach detail and performance no Halo has ever delivered” and that it will let them capture “intimate stories like the moments [witnessed] in Discover Hope.”
The visuals we’ve seen so far are all from this new engine, but we’ve yet to see actual gameplay of Halo Infinite in action. Regardless, the visuals seem to be a big step forward for the Halo franchise. Players on both console and PC should be happy with the new art direction of Infinite.
Microtransaction worries
One of the biggest worries of any release these days is that it will be bogged down with microtransactions and loot boxes. It seems likely that Halo Infinite will include some form of microtransactions — the specifics of which are still unclear — but it will not feature “real-money loot boxes.”
What’s going on with the beta?
From the look of things, Halo Infinite won’t have a typical beta. Community manager John Junyszek posted a blog late last year mentioning Flighting Programs, which will be small testing programs that work in a fashion similar to those for Halo: Master Chief Collection. Anyone interested in learning more should sign up for the Halo Insider program, where they can register for a chance to partake in the Flighting Program.
More info next month at Xbox 20/20
Microsoft will host an Xbox 20/20 event in July that will take a deep dive into what players can expect from the company over the next several months, including updates on the Xbox Series X, new game reveals, and more information on previously announced titles. The most compelling reason to tune in is to catch a glimpse of Halo Infinite, which is confirmed to be making an appearance.
We’re not sure what to expect, but if we’re lucky, we might see Master Chief in action or get a firm release date. Microsoft is clear that it expects both Halo Infinite and the Xbox Series X to launch this holiday season — despite the current global climate — meaning there are only a few months left before we can get our hands on both.
Updated on July 16, 2020: Added teaser from Xbox’s Twitter account.
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