Halo Infinite is out.

[laggyteabag]

A statement from 343:



And the community reacts:






Whilst I appreciate the brevity of this statement, it feels kind of... limp?

It diffused the rumour of whether or not 343 would continue to develop games, but it doesn't really offer any reassurances. Ideally, I want a long-term roadmap. What is planned for the forseeable future? How many more Seasons after 3? How often can we expect new seasons? Is campaign DLC planned? Any extra modes - ie, Firefight?

If 343 says that they are committed to Halo, I want to see what their commitment to Halo is. We have no idea what they have going on, beyond march.

With that said, most of 343's previous leadership has been ousted, or left of their own volition at this point. Pierre Hintze, who is now studio head, was credited for leading the team who revived the MCC, so if anyone is capable of reviving the brand, maybe he is. 343 might finally turn things around - though admittedly im pretty sure i've been saying that exact sentence for the best part of 10 years, now.

 

[BrawlMan]

Halo Infinite Gets an Elden Ring Makeover in Player-Created Map - The Escapist

A talented player has recreated a section of Elden Ring in a Halo Infinite map, so now's your chance to use an assault rifle in the RPG.

www.escapistmagazine.com

 

[Hawki]

Kotaku | Gaming Reviews, News, Tips and More.

Gaming Reviews, News, Tips and More.

www.kotaku.com.au

So I haven't commented much here - I don't have a hate boner for 343 like a lot of people do, and wanted to wait for the facts as they came out, but assuming all of this is true, this has to be one of the most mismanaged handlings of an IP I've seen, EVER.

So, to summarize:

-Halo Infinite was meant to last ten years with constant updates. No further updates will now be provided (at the very least, no new story content, so now we have a big "to be continued" hanging over the entire franchise)

-Instead of working on those promised updates, 343 was working on different Halo games, and the people working on those games were the ones that got laid off.

-343 is switching to Unreal, as the Slipstream engine is based on old tech that can't do the job properly (I actually wouldn't be surprised if this is a licencing thing, same reason EA insists its developers use Frostbite, so this is one thing that may not entirely be their fault).

-A new Halo game codenamed "Tatanka" will be the next installment, co-developed between 343 and Certain Affinity. Apparently it started as a battle royale spinoff.

MY OPINIONZ

...y'know, I really don't feel anything at this point.

Let's be clear, I liked Halo Infinite, both singleplayer and multiplayer. This coming off Halo 4 (which I detested in both areas), Halo 5 (where I actually liked the campaign, and really liked the multiplayer), Halo Infinite was good, if not great, and certainly the best 343 Halo game overall. But reading this, honestly, again, it's staggering.

Consider that Halo 5 ended on a cliffhanger. Halo Infinite resolves that cliffhanger offscreen effectively, providing a soft reboot, with its own cliffhanger, and now that cliffhanger will likely never be resolved, at least in the near future. It's absolutely staggering to me that someone at 343 (possibly Microsoft, granted) made the decision to install a live service game with a promised ten years of updates, while diverting staff to work on separate projects. This isn't to say a company has to work on one game at a time, but, well, look at history to see how that panned out.

And the next game is evolving from Battle Royale. Again, I don't have a problem with a BR mode in Halo. I don't even have a problem with a BR-themed spinoff. But it's still a microcosm - 343 can't string a coherent story together, and has repeatedly dropped plot points from between games (even Halo 4, arguably), but by God, you're going to get your BR game that may have some story to it. You'll never see the Created taken down on-screen, you'll never see the promised emergence of the Endless, but damn it, here's your choice of loadout.

Basically, I think Halo's now just a shared IP at this point - I see games being made in the setting (and the setting's big enough that it can support all kinds of spinoffs), but I think the idea of a core, single storyline and 'drive' are long gone. And if that does come back, Microsoft needs someone other than 343 to take the reigns. Because after this mismanagement? Yeah.

 

[BrawlMan]

And the next game is evolving from Battle Royale. Again, I don't have a problem with a BR mode in Halo. I don't even have a problem with a BR-themed spinoff. But it's still a microcosm - 343 can't string a coherent story together, and has repeatedly dropped plot points from between games (even Halo 4, arguably), but by God, you're going to get your BR game that may have some story to it. You'll never see the Created taken down on-screen, you'll never see the promised emergence of the Endless, but damn it, here's your choice of loadout.

Won't last a year; not in this already overcrowded market.

​

Basically, I think Halo's now just a shared IP at this point - I see games being made in the setting (and the setting's big enough that it can support all kinds of spinoffs), but I think the idea of a core, single storyline and 'drive' are long gone. And if that does come back, Microsoft needs someone other than 343 to take the reigns. Because after this mismanagement? Yeah.

The franchise is even more whored out than it ever was before, and in the worst possible way.

​

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Halo Infinite was meant to last ten years with constant updates.

As I've said before: The words "ten-year plan" should be a cue for any gamer to grab their wallet with both hands and wind-sprint in the other direction.

And the next game is evolving from Battle Royale.

They're going to have to chip that anvil out from the middle of a glacier in order to strike it.

 

[laggyteabag]

And the next game is evolving from Battle Royale. Again, I don't have a problem with a BR mode in Halo. I don't even have a problem with a BR-themed spinoff. But it's still a microcosm - 343 can't string a coherent story together, and has repeatedly dropped plot points from between games (even Halo 4, arguably), but by God, you're going to get your BR game that may have some story to it. You'll never see the Created taken down on-screen, you'll never see the promised emergence of the Endless, but damn it, here's your choice of loadout.

They're going to have to chip that anvil out from the middle of a glacier in order to strike it.

Ah yes, classic 343: chasing trends, but way too late to capitalise on the popularity.

For what it is worth, I actually think that Halo is probably the IP that is best suited to transition into a BR mode, because vehicles, large maps, weapon pick ups, and power ups, are already part the game's sandbox. I just dont care for Battle Royale modes at all. I just think that they are way too slow, and I haven't enjoyed any that I have tried.

On the flipside, im just excited to see a company other than 343 have a crack at the franchise.

We'll see what happens, and im curious to see what the "expanded scope" means

 

[BrawlMan]

Halo Infinite’s Season 3 is out now, adding ray-tracing on PC and more | VGC

Halo Infinite’s third season of content: Echoes Within, is now available.

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[BrawlMan]

Xbox: 343 will continue to work on Halo, but other studios may get involved | VGC

Matt Booty says if Activision’s COD team wants to work on it, that’s up to the studios…

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[BrawlMan]

Halo Infinite Has Lost 98% Of Its Steam Playerbase - What Does This Mean For The Series?

Halo Infinite launched in 2021 and it received positive reception when it came out. Over time, fans became upset with a lack of content updates, cancellation of certain promises, and bad community management. As a result, the game's free-to-play live service multiplayer has lost almost all of...

clutchpoints.com

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Halo Infinite Has Lost 98% Of Its Steam Playerbase - What Does This Mean For The Series?

Halo Infinite launched in 2021 and it received positive reception when it came out. Over time, fans became upset with a lack of content updates, cancellation of certain promises, and bad community management. As a result, the game's free-to-play live service multiplayer has lost almost all of...

clutchpoints.com

Yeah, I literally haven't touched the game in at least a year. I really like Halo, and enjoyed all the Bungie made ones, and even Halo 4 to an extent, but I just could not get into this one. The overall game feel is good, but I didn't like the maps the game launched with, or the weapons, and poor monetization and UI as well as a lack of single player at launch left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I basically dropped the game before the campaign was even out so I never even touched the campaign either.

Everything about this game just feels so completely mismanaged and limp. Really disappointing considering this is supposed to be Microsoft's flagship IP, but also pretty indicative of Microsoft's overall output since the Xbone.

 

[BrawlMan]

Yeah, I literally haven't touched the game in at least a year. I really like Halo, and enjoyed all the Bungie made ones, and even Halo 4 to an extent, but I just could not get into this one. The overall game feel is good, but I didn't like the maps the game launched with, or the weapons, and poor monetization and UI as well as a lack of single player at launch left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I basically dropped the game before the campaign was even out so I never even touched the campaign either.

Everything about this game just feels so completely mismanaged and limp. Really disappointing considering this is supposed to be Microsoft's flagship IP, but also pretty indicative of Microsoft's overall output since the Xbone.

No sensible person or fan would blame you for doing so. Microsoft really doesn't know what to do with itself, yet at the same time wants to be the victim like it did nothing wrong.

 

[BrawlMan]

​

 

[FakeSympathy]

Okay, so I already posted in the general news thread, but after reviewing this video, there are several points of concerns

• WTF is that new logo design?
• The UE do make the environment look nice, but they do realize Halo has always been about world-building and lore, right?
• Speaking of which, none of that world-building/lore and writing stuff is discussed
• The new armor design looks weird

I guess since this video was just about engine shift and rebranding, not a lot of stuff was covered. Just hoping they drop the crappy live-service element of halo infinite