In many ways, Halo is the most important franchise for Microsoft. This series and Master Chief himself have become synonymous with Xbox. Fortunately, Microsoft understands that and will be giving us Halo Infinite to enjoy on the Xbox Series X.
For fans, we have a bit of good news and bad news. The bad news is that you’ll have to wait until the end of the year to play Halo Infinite. The good news is that we already know quite a bit about this game, and all of it is exciting for veteran players and newbies alike!
Here is everything we already know about Halo Infinite.
What is the plot of Halo Infinite?
We don’t yet know a lot about the story for Halo Infinite. But what we do know is that the story will revolve entirely around Master Chief.
The previous game, Halo 5: Guardians, was divisive among fans because it split its focus between Master Chief and Jameson Locke. And while Locke is a cool enough character, many ways wanted to spend 100% of their time playing Master Chief.
And those fans should be happy, because Halo Infinite is all about Chief’s story.
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Will Halo Infinite be available on PC?
Much of the Halo Infinite buzz is connected to the Xbox Series X. This isn’t surprising: Halo Infinite is a launch title for the new system, and Microsoft is hoping that Master Chief will help them win the next generation of console wars.
However, PC fans should be happy to know that Halo Infinite will be on computer as well. Just as the Master Chief Collection continues to release new content for PC players, Halo Infinite will give those players an entirely new adventure to dive into.
While we don’t know the exact date yet, it seems likely that the PC version of Halo Infinite will be launching at the same time as the console version.
What is the release date for Halo Infinite?
So, do we know the release date for Halo Infinite? The honest answer to this is “yes and no.”
For example, we know that this will be a launch title for the Xbox Series X. And we know that the new system will be coming out by the end of 2020, probably close to the holidays.
At the same time, Microsoft has not dropped an exact street date for their new system. And until we have that exact date, we won’t know when Master Chief will be finishing this fight.
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Halo Infinite is the final game in a trilogy
Speaking of finishing the fight, Halo Infinite is going to be the final game in a trilogy. That trilogy began with Halo 4 and continued into Halo 5: Guardians.
This means we’ll finally get a resolution to the story of the “rampant” Cortana and the threat she represents to the galaxy. While this is good news for players wanting some resolution, it may be bad news to players hoping that Halo Infinite would launch an entirely different story instead.
Who is the villain of Halo Infinite?
Honestly, it’s difficult to tell brand new stories in the Halo universe. One reason for this is that for every new enemy the developers introduce, there will be countless fans calling for a return of the classic baddies.
That’s why Halo Infinite is splitting the difference and making the main bad guys a group known as the Banished. Unless you played Halo Wars 2, this enemy faction will feel fresh.
At the same time, this is a faction led by the Brutes introduced way back in Halo 2. By making these classic Covenant goons the Big Bad, developers are giving players something old and something new at the same time.
We will also be introduced to War Chief Escharum, a Banished leader on this Halo ring.
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Return of the Forge
For some fans, the best part about Halo games is the Forge. This mode allows you to create new multiplayer levels and modes and then share your creations with the world.
We don’t yet know what extra bells and whistles it will have, but the Forge mode is back in Halo Infinite. Players will be able to channel their creativity and unleash new levels on the world by the end of this year.
An open-world feel
Countless fans have swapped rumors that Halo Infinite would sport an open world. Is this actually the case? Once again, the answer is “yes and no.”
The game is not going to be like an open world sandbox where you can do anything you want. With that being said, though, it has been designed to give an open-world feel to players.
Once you reach the Halo ring after a few hours, “then you have the ability to traverse that whole area and explore where you want to go on the ring,” Halo Infinite Studio Head Chris Lee told IGN. He sees this as a nice compromise where you’ll “sense of freedom that you haven’t had before” while still keeping “the story moving forward.”
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Weird new gadgets
When is Master Chief like Link or Samus Aran? When you give him weird new gadgets!
Halo Infinite will include different upgrades that Master Chief can use, including a handy grappling hook. While the hook has combat possibilities (like yanking enemies towards your first), it also allows you to access areas that were previously off-limits.
Who knows? Maybe Halo Infinite is secretly the Metroidvania-style game you’ve been waiting for!
Halo Infinite will have free multiplayer
Arguably, the biggest news about Halo Infinite is that you’ll be able to experience it for free.
While players will still have to buy the full game to access the campaign and other features, the multiplayer is going to be completely free to play. This should go a long way towards increasing the number of players and keeping the game going for a good, long time.
How can they afford to do this? The game is going to have some form of microtransactions, though there won’t be any loot boxes involved.
Want to experience the whole game without shelling out for a disc? Good news: the entirety of the game will be free via Microsoft’s Game Pass program!
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Why is it called Halo Infinite?
Want to know the real secret behind Halo Infinite’s title? Developers at 343 are taking the name pretty literally.
They’ve ditched the numbered naming system in favor of “Infinite” because they aren’t rushing to make any new games after this. Instead, they hope to release additional content for this game for the next decade instead of working on a sequel.
That approach may sound crazy, but consider the ongoing popularity of the Master Chief Collection. Fans are using that game to replay the campaign and multiplayer for the first Halo (Halo: Combat Evolved), and that game came out nearly 20 years ago.
It’s entirely possible, then, that Halo Infinite will be the final adventure of Master Chief. But it’s one that players can enjoy for a good, long time!
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