Halo Infinite devs reveal new details on multiplayer and campaign
343 IndustriesHalo Infinite is without question one of the most highly anticipated games of 2021 and while we still don’t know if it will have a battle royale mode, 343 Industries have revealed a load of new details for fans to sift through.
The game was previously slated for a December 2020 release date but was moved back to afford the developers more time, amid the current global health situation. When it was confirmed that late 2021 would be the latest launch window, players will have been expecting more information to drip out in stages during the year.
On March 12, they got their wish. The dev team rolled out a #Ask343 YouTube video, answering some of the many questions fans of the franchise have been asking in recent times.
Community Manager John Junyszek was joined by a number of devs, including Lead World Designer John Mulkey, Lead Sandbox Designer, and Quinn Delhoyo, Gameplay Director Troy Mashburn, and more.
343 IndustriesHalo Infinite devs reveal more campaign and gameplay details
During the sit-down, which ran for over 40 minutes, the team discussed a wide variety of topics spanning from weather systems to campaign progression.
They confirmed that there would be no playable Elites in Halo Infinite and that dual wield weapons are not on the agenda for launch. But one of the most interesting questions asked about the type of game people should be expecting.
Will Halo Infinite be open world?
After being asked about whether it would be an open-world game, Mashburn responded: “When you talk about open world or semi-open world, there’s a lot of preconceived ideas of what that means. Are you going to be out there gathering leather, crafting, and those sorts of things. That’s not what we’re about.”
Using the example of the Silent Cartographer mission, he also added that there will be a lot of player choice and we can expect to see many paths being available to reach objectives.
Halo Infinite biomes
On top of that, they also delved deeper into the Zeta Halo biomes. Campaign Art Lead, Justin Dinges, said: “Pacific North West is our main biome, that was by choice. We got really excited about it and wanted to do it right. Within that biome, you actually find diversity in sub-biomes.”
He confirmed there will be war-torn areas called the Deadlands, as well as swampy wetlands, hexagon caves, and banished bases.
For more information, the full Q&A can be found below, along with a list of news bites to come from the interviews.
Halo Infinite #Ask343 at a glance
- No weapon upgrades in campaign.
- Halo Infinite will not be an open-world game.
- Dual wield weapons will not feature.
- Outposts and bases will be dotted around the world to encounter.
- Team committed to addressing issues highlighted by the community in July’s reveal.
- Audio logs included to tell the story of battles.
- Playable Elites are not in the works.
- The ring in the skybox is a full 3D model.
- Players will be able to select just one piece of equipment at a time on Multiplayer.
- Story structure has a general path and there will be multiple places to visit outside of that.
- No hostile wildlife is in the game.
- Weather systems confirmed, including wind. No snow or rainstorms added yet but could be in the future.
There appears to be a consensus forming in the community that this type of interaction with fans is a positive step for the studio, giving them more insight in terms of what to expect. Now that many of our questions have been answered, all eyes turn to 343 Industries in terms of a potential battle royale mode.
Nothing has been confirmed on that front so far, though many fans have been speculating about its inclusion. For more Halo Infinite details, check out our comprehensive guide on everything we know so far.