Halo Infinite has been sorely missed from the Xbox Series X|S launch. Infinite was delayed after a poor showing in July, and there has been no solid information about the game since.
343 community manager Brian Jarrard AKA “Ske7ch” recently commented on a reddit thread saying that there would be a “high level update” in the coming weeks. In a recent community update 343 said that they would end a year on a “strong note” in regards to Halo Infinite as well.
The number one question fans will have about Halo Infinite is how it looks. Whatever the update is, 343 will need to assure fans that the game does not look visually as rough as it did in July. It did not look terrible, but was a noticeable step down from the 2018 and 2019 trailer. There is also some concern about the direction of the game. Last month, studio head of 343 Chris Lee left the project without much comment, and there has been speculation about where the game goes from here.
We know that ex Bungie head Joseph Staten is currently the campaign lead so the game seems to be in good hands. Still, we don’t know exactly what Staten’s influence of the game will be. Will he be there to land the plane or is he going to completely refurbish it? We don’t have answers yet.
343 has to balance a tight rope here. They are obviously working under difficult circumstances and are likely focused on getting the game completed and shipped. They also have to prove to fans that the game isn’t a disaster, and this next update will have a lot of attention and anticipation on it.
There a few different avenues 343 can choose to present new Halo Information. One that seems likely is a blog post providing detailed new information about Halo Infinite. 343 are excellent at providing detailed blogs that cover the minutiae of the game. It is possible that this high level update covers new gameplay details and mechanics, new story details, a first look at multiplayer, information about the world of Halo Infinite, or something else.
This could be exciting if 343 is able to go in depth about the game, but it would be dissapointing if we don’t see the game. They might not be quite ready to show gameplay yet, so they could opt to show in game images showing hopefully a better looking game.
They could also show gameplay, but based off of what Ske7ch said on reddit, 343 isn’t in the position to show a highly polished vertical slice. Depending on how close the game is to being released, they could show gameplay from a polished build of the game. After the July showing, 343 will likely want to ease any concern that Infinite is a graphically poor game. If they do show gameplay, it will likely be graphically impressive with an added note that it is a work in progress.
Another possible outcome is 343 announces a multiplayer beta. After the disastrous launch of The Master Chief Collection, head of 343 Bonnie Ross promised that all new Halo games would have Betas. Coronavirus and Work From Home conditions complicate this, and we haven’t heard any indication from 343 that there will definitely be a Beta for Infinite.
A Beta would give 343 the ability to let players test out a game that has been in development for nearly 5 years, while simultaneously revamping the hype cycle that was stunted after the July showing. It may be too much hassle considering the circumstances, but if 343 is able to pull it off it would be a great way to reintroduce Halo Infinite.
