343 Industries have revealed a boat load of details for Halo Infinite in recent times as we approach its late 2021 release date, and most recently crossplay has been confirmed for Xbox and PC players.
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Halo Infinite is arguably the most-anticipated game set to release on the Xbox Series X/S in 2021. With the title being the sixth main installment in the massively popular Halo universe, fans are looking forward to following the next chapter in Master Chief’s story.
Despite at first being marketed as the Xbox Series X’s launch title, the game was unexpectedly delayed until late 2021. Of course, this has left fans wondering what changes 343 Industries are making to the game during this extra development time.
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Without further ado, let’s breakdown everything you need to know about Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite release date
Originally, 343 Industries’ latest Halo title was set to release on November 10, 2020. However, the developers opted to delay the game until 2021 to “ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a Halo game experience that meets our vision.”
This unexpected delay caused a lot of disappointment among fans of the franchise. After a rather mixed reaction to the title’s gameplay reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase, fans were pleased the game was going to receive more development time before its release.
Halo Infinite Development Update pic.twitter.com/TFZvXhRN9f
— Halo (@Halo) August 11, 2020
In terms of a current release date, it was announced by the official Halo Twitter back in December of 2020 that the game is set to arrive in the Fall of 2021. Although this isn’t a specific and concrete date, it gives us a rough idea of when we can expect to get our hands on the title.
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As 343 Day draws to a close, we're excited to offer a closer look at Halo Infinite development and share our updated launch window of Fall 2021.
— Halo (@Halo) December 8, 2020
Read more in the first Inside Infinite: https://t.co/1m5mLSJKVm pic.twitter.com/FyDDs1WNoJ
Despite having no official information, a leak from Halo Infinite actor Verlon Roberts on the Fadam & Friends podcast has suggested that the title may release in November, 2021.
While discussing his career in voice-acting, Roberts casually mentioned that Halo had been “pushed to later November this year.”
Halo Infinite Characters
In the podcast, the actor also lets slip that he’s playing a character called Spartan Griffin, also indicating that he has recorded lines with Master Chief’s voice actor.
On top of this, a set of leaked Halo Infinite figurines have been revealed by Mega Contrux News on Twitter. This has given Halo fans a first look at characters ‘Stone’ and ‘Griffin’, set to be introduced in the title.
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One is kitted out with purple armor and the other has an icy white suit. You can check out the figures below:
Mega Construx Halo Heroes Series 14 is slowly leaking! So far we only got two figures so far, which is Spartan Trailblazer (Spartan Stone?) and Spartan Mark VII (Spartan Griffin?)
— Mega Construx News (@megabloksnews) February 4, 2021
Ctedit: Target and thanks to travisz7963 for the information. pic.twitter.com/pL5FbcDDKq
Halo Infinite trailers
So far, fans have been treated to three trailers that showcase the world players can expect to venture into. First revealed back in 2018, our latest look at a new trailer was revealed back in July 2020.
Step Inside Trailer
E3 2019 trailer
E3 2018 announcement trailer
Halo Infinite developers
Halo Infinite is developed by 343 Industries, with some help also provided by The Coalition. Created back in 2007 after Bungie departed from Halo, the studio has developed each subsequent release in the series.
The Coalition is most notably known for their work on Gears 5 and has clearly assisted 343 in making the game.
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It’s impossible to know what this means for the title, but it’ll certainly be interesting to see if there are any parallels between Halo Infinite and Gears.
Halo Infinite graphics, gameplay demo and new features
We got our first look at Halo Infinite’s gameplay at the Xbox Games Showcase, an event showing off all the titles coming to the Xbox Series X/S in the near future.
The eight-minute-long demo revealed at the event gave us a glimpse of some of the new features we can expect to see in the title. One addition is Master Chief’s grappling hook which allows him to pull in enemies or access high ground.
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Despite the excitement that the demo generated for the title, there was widespread disappointment among fans about the game’s graphics. This was no doubt one of the reasons behind 343’s decision to delay the game until 2021. Since the delay, 343 have acknowledged that the graphics in the demo were not as polished as they would have liked: “the reality is that the art and visuals weren’t at the bar we hold for Halo.”
According to 343, they’ve taken on the feedback and are using the extra development time to “create the best-looking Halo game-ever.” It’s fair to say the developers are setting the bar extremely high, which is exactly what fans of the series want to hear.
Ask 343 confirmed features
In the recent March 12th edition of 343 Industries’ Ask 343 series, several new details came out about what players can expect, further proving how high the developers have set the bar for themselves. Reddit user IntrinsicGamer shared highlights of what players can expect from the new title.
New weather systems, alongside a wind system and day and night cycle, bring the world alive. With the freedom to explore this world as you please (though new parts may become accessible as you unlock new vehicles, one example stated) across multiple biomes like swamps and wartorn areas, there’s plenty to get stuck in with.
While the game has a linear thread, there are still plenty of stories and experiences players can immerse themselves in beyond the “Golden Path”, such as a crashed Pelican that has skidded across the terrain. Audio logs are also scattered across Zeta Halo, developing the ring and its lore and history further.
NPCs also seem to have more of a routine, too. Grunts will sleep at night, and phantoms are armed with searchlights to make things that much more tricky. Including the possible, but tricky, way of being able to knock things off of the edge of Zeta Halo, players are undoubtedly in for a treat.
Dual-wielding isn’t in the game, though, due to 343 focusing primarily on equipment within the game. Similarly, playable Elites aren’t supported because the story is primarily a “Master Chief and Spartan story.”
Crossplay confirmed for Xbox & PC
On April 29, 2021, the game’s developers confirmed in an Xbox Wire blog post that there will be crossplay and cross progression for Halo Infinite. This will be available for both Xbox and PC, which is to be expected as those are the only platforms it will launch on.
A statement said: “We know many of you play across more than just your PC, including on Xbox and mobile. That’s why we’re excited to announce Halo Infinite will support multiplayer cross-play and cross-progression when it releases later this year.
“That means if you’re playing on PC, you can play with your friends on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. It also means that your multiplayer customization and progress will follow you across all platforms.”
Halo Infinite will support cross play and cross progression between Xbox & PC pic.twitter.com/DTpZceLG30
— Halo Infinite News (@DexertoHalo) April 29, 2021
Halo Infinite Weapons
In a blog post detailed on the Halo website, 343’s Kyle Fraser, the Lead Sound Designer shared one of the new Banished weapons coming into the game: The Skewer.
The Banished weaponry has a much more primitive feel than other factions, and so they created a look and sound that was “animalistic, powerful, and visceral.”
The team also discuss the game’s audio design, and how they’re taking things much further with Infinite.
Game engine
Utilizing the SlipSpace engine, which is developed specifically for the title by 343, the developers promise that “leading edge technologies convey moving emotional performances with truly organic, believable fidelity.”
The game has previously seen some backlash over its visuals, though, with marketing manager Aaron Greenberg explaining that the first-person shooter is still a “work in progress.”
Halo Infinite Beta release date
343 Industries announced in January 2021 they would be holding multiple “test flights” (a fancy name for public beta tests) for Infinite before the full release sometime in the Fall.
If you want to sign up to participate in the test flight you can find out how to do so right here. So far we have no official release dates for the public betas, but we will update this section as soon as we find out more information.
Halo Infinite platforms
As expected, Halo is an exclusive title owned by Microsoft so the game will arrive on the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
There were some rumors and leaks that 343 Industries had canceled the release of Halo Infinite on the previous generation of consoles. Luckily, a community manager at 343 confirmed that this information was false.
Halo Infinite Multiplayer and battle royale
At the time of writing, very little is known about the multiplayer. It’s fair to say we can expect to see the return of some classic game modes and weapons, however there have been no credible leaks revealing any new information as of yet.
Despite this, Microsoft has confirmed Halo Infinite’s Multiplayer will be free to play and will support 120FPS on the Xbox Series X. This is exciting news for Halo fans as it shows 343 are pushing the boundaries of the new next-gen hardware.
Halo is for everyone. We can confirm #HaloInfinite multiplayer will be free-to-play and will support 120FPS on Xbox Series X. More details will be shared later! pic.twitter.com/9bIrppFiON
— Halo (@Halo) July 31, 2020
Some rumors have suggested that the game will include some form of battle royale mode. With the overwhelming success of titles such as Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone, it wouldn’t be a surprise if 343 opted to create their very own BR.
Huge Twitch personality Micheal ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek has argued a BR mode may be the perfect feature for Halo to adapt and compete in the modern era of games. Recently, Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop echoed the same sentiments with a post to Twitter: “If Halo Infinite doesn’t release with a robust and well made Battle Royale game mode, then it will be one of the greatest gaming failures in history.”
Despite this, it’s worth noting that 343 has yet to confirm that BR any mode is in development, so we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for any leaks or big announcements.
For now, that’s everything we know about Halo Infinite’s release date and what it’ll bring to the table in 2021. If any new information, leaks, or announcements are made, we’ll be sure to update this article.
