User-created content is the future of live service gaming, and while there will always be the need for and presence of developer-created content, being able to draw upon the passion and creativity of the community is a recipe for success, with titles such as Fortnite now seeing almost as many people playing user-created modes, as they are official ones created by Epic Games.
This approach reduces developers’ workload and ensures that players have access to a constant stream of fresh and exciting content. Moreover, by allowing players to take an active role in content creation, developers can also benefit from valuable feedback that can be used to improve the game overall. Placing content creation tools in players’ hands is a win-win situation for developers and players alike.
Shortly before the launch of Halo Infinite Season 4, the developers confirmed that Campaign AI support would be added to the Forge, allowing players to create custom PVE content and even custom campaigns.
After a bumpy start, Halo Infinite has found its footing, and its developers and community can now look to the future with anticipation instead of trepidation.
In March 2023, 343 Industries announced that the Halo Infinite community had created over 1 million maps, which will undoubtedly continue to increase as the developers add additional functionality to Forge mode.
Image credit Halo Infinite - Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by 343 Industries.
While Halo Infinite does not allow players to customise their Spartan’s physical appearance, Halo Infinite offers players a wide array of both free and paid cosmetics which can be used to customise the appearance of spartan armour, including but not limited to samurai helmets, cat ears and dozens of armour coatings (dyes), ensuring that every Spartan is as stylish as they are deadly.
Some armour coatings are exclusively available as part of a cross-brand promotion, such as the stunning Northwest Sky Armor Coating, which was given to all purchasers of the Spartan Mark VII with VK78 Commando Rifle Blue & Yellow Funkopop.
Image credit Halo Infinite - Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by 343 Industries.
Yes, for those who opt to purchase the Halo: Infinite Campaign DLC (or subscribe to Xbox/PC Game Pass), a roughly 20-hour open-world narrative campaign is available that is similar in tone and execution to Halo 5 while mechanically sharing many similarities with more recent Far Cry.
Image credit Halo Infinite - Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by 343 Industries.
Halo is littered with biblical references, including Master Chief’s tag, which reads John 117, a reference to John chapter 1 vs 17, which reads, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
While John chapter 1 vs 17 is widely believed to be the reference referred to by the developers, the Halo 3 marketing campaign instead focused on John chapter 1 vs 1-7, which speak of the creation of the world and how Jesus existed before time, as he was not only with God in the beginning, but he was God, and through him, all things (including earth) was created.
While I understand that for millions of people, obtaining an Xbox Series X|S is not possible, either due to stock or financial realities, since the advent of Xbox Cloud Gaming, there is no need for developers to be constrained by hardware from 2013, especially when current generation consoles are capable of giving us so much more than we have yet to see.
Halo Infinite would be a far better game today if the developers could dedicate all resources toward current-gen hardware.
Instead, “what could be” is held back by “what was”, and in the case of Halo Infinite, that is unlikely to change anytime soon, with Halo Infinite unlikely to drop 8th generation support for the duration of the 9th generation.
Image credit Halo Infinite - Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by 343 Industries.
Halo: Infinite is the only non-survival FPS where I never have enough ammo to do what I want to do at any given time.
While picking up enemy weapons is fun in small doses, having to forsake my chosen loadout constantly due to a lack of ammo is very immersion-breaking, especially in the case of UNSC sniper rifles, which often spawn with less than 12 rounds of ammo or energy blades which cannot be recharged, and run out of power in as little as 20 seconds of active combat with multiple enemies.
While Halo: Infinite doesn’t need to be a bullet hell shooter, having enough ammo to take out a moderate-sized Banished base isn’t asking a lot, considering Spartans are effectively “one-man armies” who can lay waste to legions of enemies without breaking a sweat.
Image credit Halo Infinite - Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by 343 Industries.
Halo Infinite is a shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios, it will be released on 15 Nov, 2021 and it is Free-2-Play.
Halo Infinite is available on the following platforms: PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Halo Infinite remains in active development, with 343i focusing on providing quality content at regular intervals, including promoting and occasionally incorporating user-created modes and maps into regular rotation.
Most recently, in Season 4, the developers incorporated the fan-created mod “Infected” as a core game mode, which is sure to please fans of the mode, with some claiming it is one of the best things to have happened to Halo Infinite.
As of April 2024, around 1,000,000 people play Halo Infinite on a fairly regular basis.
Halo Infinite is very active, meaning that very short matchmaking times and even instant matchmaking are possible in populated regions, while less popular regions enjoy stable but less instantaneous matchmaking.
Halo: Infinite is far from dead; however, on certain platforms such as Steam, it is underperforming badly due to a shaky launch and a nearly 6-month-long content drought.
While full cross-play support with the Xbox and Xbox Game Pass community ensures that Halo: Infinite remains active 24/7, seeing a free-to-play AAA Halo title with under 10k players on Steam must be disappointing for the developers, who have worked tirelessly (and at times aimlessly) on Halo: Infinite for almost six years.
Image credit Halo Infinite - Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by 343 Industries.
On average Halo: Infinite, takes between 12 and 25 hours to complete.
Estimated completion times are derived from various sources and may vary based on the skill level of each player.
Halo: Infinite, supports:
Halo: Infinite, offers the following matchmaking options:
The Halo: Infinite, in-game store sells:
The following peripherals are officially supported:
Halo: Infinite, is rated PEGI 16+ and contains the following:
Halo: Infinite had a shaky first year and suffered from several content droughts, which caused it to lose momentum; however, it is now in much better shape and could arguably be the best way to expierance Halo on the market, mostly thanks to the inclusion and promotion of Forge mode, which has seen players create a huge variety of maps and modes to supplement the official developer created content, ensuring that Halo Infinite never again suffers through a multi-season content drought.
