Halo Infinite

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Halo Infinite
Developer(s):	343 Industries Certain Affinity SkyBox Labs
Publisher(s):	Microsoft Studios
Writer(s):	TBA
Composer(s):	Curtis Schweitzer Gareth Coker Joel Corelitz
Platform(s):	Xbox One Xbox One X Xbox Series X PC Windows 10 Steam
Release date(s):	Fall 2021
Genre(s):	First-person shooter

"You should just consider it Halo 6. Don't think of it as a weird prequel kind of thing. It's the next story. It's the next chapter in what is going on."

— Jeff Easterling

Halo Infinite is an upcoming video game serving as a sequel to Halo 5: Guardians, which will be developed by 343 Industries, Certain Affinity, and SkyBox Labs, and published by Microsoft Studios. The game was first unveiled during the opening to Microsoft's E3 2018 conference, with a release date originally being set for late 2020. On August 11, 2020, it was announced that due to ongoing difficulties in development due to the COVID-19 pandemic - among other factors - Halo Infinite is to be delayed, with a new release date set for 2021.

Plot

As the third chapter in the Reclaimer Saga, Infinite will focus on the Master Chief and continue his story following the events of Halo 5: Guardians. It has been described as a "spiritual reboot" for the franchise.

Appearances

Characters Human Anthony Diaz (First mentioned) Catherine Halsey Corilia Brennan (First mentioned) Echo 216's pilot Griffin John-117 Joseph Williams (First mentioned) Justine Lopez (First mentioned) Ratul Anand (First mentioned) Sarah Palmer Frederic-104 Artificial Intelligence Cortana Jiralhanae Atriox (Mentioned only) Escharum Hyperius (First appearance) Sangheili Jega 'Rdomnai (First appearance) Okro 'Vagaduun Unknown The Harbinger (First mentioned) Species Brontotheres Deer-like creature (First appearance) Forerunner constructs Human Jiralhanae Captain Chieftain Warrior (First appearance) Kig-Yar Freebooter (First appearance) Sniper Lekgolo Mgalekgolo Sangheili Mercenary (First appearance) Ultra Warlord (First appearance) Unggoy Assault (First appearance) Conscript (First appearance) Organizations Human Axys Hydroelectric (First appearance) Emerson Tactical Systems (Mentioned only) Misriah Armory (Mentioned only) Unified Earth Government United Nations Space Command UNSC Armed Forces Spartan Operations SPARTAN-IV program UNSC Marine Corps Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (Mentioned only) UNSC Navy Naval Special Warfare Command Naval Special Weapons SPARTAN-II program Office of Naval Intelligence (Mentioned only) ONI Section Three (Mentioned only) Materials Group (Mentioned only) Alien Banished Hand of Atriox (First appearance) Covenant (Mentioned only) AI Created Locations Sagittarius Arm Installation 07 The Auditorium (First mentioned)

Events Post-Covenant War conflicts Battle of Genesis (Indirect mention) Battle for Installation 07 (Mentioned only) Installation 07 conflict (First appearance) Created conflict Template:Fact Vehicles Human AV-49 Wasp Condor Infinity-class supercarrier UNSC Infinity (Mentioned only) M290 Mongoose Pelican Echo 216 (First appearance) Warthog Chaingun Warthog Scout Warthog Banished Banshee Banished Banshee Banished drop pod (First appearance) Banished skiff (First appearance) Phantom Banished Phantom Ghost Banished Ghost Weapons Human Assault rifle MA40 assault rifle Battle rifle BR75 battle rifle Hydra MLRS M41 SPNKR M46 Vulcan M9 fragmentation grenade Pistol MK50 Sidekick (First appearance) Shotgun CQS48 Bulldog (First appearance) Sniper rifle SRS99 series SRS99-S7 AM sniper rifle (First appearance) VK78 Commando (First appearance) Banished Banished anti-aircraft cannon (First appearance) Carbine Pulse carbine Mangler Needler Plasma Pistol Ravager Shade Banished Shade turret (First appearance) Shock rifle Skewer Stalker rifle (First appearance) Type-1 energy sword Type-1 plasma grenade Type-2 gravity hammer Type-2 spike grenade Unknown Unidentified Stun grenade Disruptor Technology and equipment Human Artificial intelligence Smart AI Data crystal chip Grappleshot Heads Up Display System Peril Distributed Reflex MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor MJOLNIR (GEN3) Mark VI variant Mark VII variant Trailblazer variant (First appearance) Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine (Mentioned only) Radio TACMAP UNSC Crate UNSC Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform Banished Gravity lift Jiralhanae power armor Banished armor Jump pack Kig-Yar combat harness Sangheili harness Sangheili combat harness Unggoy combat harness Forerunner Halo Array Beam emitter Sentinels Common Artificial limb Energy shielding Holography Unknown Drop wall (First appearance) Fusion core

Development

Overview

A sequel to Halo 5 had entered the planning stages by September, 2015. By this point, the developers were aware of where the story would go, and had begun writing the game. The game has been referred to offhand as "Halo 6," before the official title was announced at E3 2018. Frank O'Connor has argued that the next installment would feature "a much more human story". The studio plans on keeping the cooperative mode introduced in Halo 5. Halo Infinite will have two-player splitscreen, as will all other future Halo FPS games. As of June 2017, it has been confirmed that Halo Infinite will not be discussed "for quite some time", implying a longer development cycle. Halo Infinite will have a beta at some point prior to its release. Halo Infinite will also have more focus on the Master Chief by "doubling down" on him. There will be no Battle Royale mode featured according to Jeff Easterling's claim “The only BR we're interested in is the Battle Rifle”, in response to the popular trend during a livestream.

A first-person view of Halo Infinite in the Discover Hope trailer.

Since the launch of Halo 5: Guardians in October 2015, 343 Industries has been developing a new game engine—Slipspace Engine. The engine was built to help the development team fully realize their goals for the upcoming successor to Guardians, Halo Infinite. First announced with an engine demonstration at Microsoft's E3 2018 conference, Halo Infinite is still currently in relatively early development. The trailer depicted the Master Chief aiding Marines on a Halo installation, encountering wildlife similar to deer and rhinoceroses. None of the wildlife will be hostile to the player.

On a Mixer stream on December 19, 2018, several 343i employees confirmed that players who liked Halo: Reach's armor customization would be pleased with Halo Infinite's. Black undersuits for the multiplayer Spartans was also confirmed. Players who reach SR 152 in Halo 5: Guardians will be rewarded with the "Watchdogs" armor coating in Halo Infinite.

E3 2019 provided more information about the game. It showed an early scene from the game where a pilot of a derelict Pelican finds the Master Chief floating in space in front of a damaged Halo, retrieves him and powers his suit back up; preparing for battle. Another scene shows the Master Chief moving inside of an environment resembling a Halo's control room, and preparing a AI chip with the explicitly deliberate goal of "reconnecting" with someone or something. Additionally, an audio file hidden within the trailer's HUD sequence features Cortana's voice remarking that "This... This is part of me. I don't know why. I don't know how. But it is me."

The Xbox Games Showcase in July served as a substitute for E3 2020 which had been cancelled by the Covid-19 pandemic. A demo was streamed showing the Master Chief and Echo-419's pilot crash landing on Installation 07. It featured gameplay showing an "open-world" gameplay, the return of Sprint, gameplay with the new weapons and two of the new equipment: the Grappleshot and the Drop wall.

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Development of the game was slowed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the pandemic eventually contributing to the game's delay for a 2021 release. The game was originally planned for a release on November 10, as an Xbox Series X launch title.

Features

Halo Infinite is being developed with cross-play and cross-progression available on the Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC. All platforms support customizable options in field of view and input devices, with players being able to use controllers as well as mouse and keyboard on all platforms. As such, the game also offers additional gameplay settings for mouse users, such as triple keybinds, advanced sensitivity, and acceleration sliders. Halo Infinite on PC supports interface with Steam and Discord, and comes with customizable in-game settings, including a wide range of display aspect ratios (including 21:9 and 32:9 formats) as well as advanced graphics options.

Art

Halo Infinite will be the first debut of a new artstyle introduced by Nicolas "Sparth" Bouvier; Bouvier having worked as a concept artist for the series' expanded media, drew heavy inspiration from the most iconic and historic parts of the Halo franchise and fan feedback, while ensuring that the fidelity of those designs would take full advantage of the Xbox One's capabilities. The game will focus on the Master Chief, with 343i having taken feedback on the amount of time spent playing as the Master Chief in Halo 5. The studio has stated that they are making changes to how they approach the game's creation, while also taking new and unexpected directions. Community involvement in the game's design will be utilized, with community members being able to join early flighting programs to give 343i direct feedback.

When designing the setting, inspiration was taken from the Pacific Northwest. "Sub-biomes" also feature, representing said biomes from the Northwest. Some unique areas called "Deadlands" appear, representing war-torn areas of the ring.

Gameplay

Pre-release screenshot of an area players will be able to explore in Halo Infinite's campaign.

Infinite has been described as being a "platform" for the Halo franchise for at least the next decade. It is intended that the game be added to over time, rather than utilizing the previous system of numbered titles. However, the game will not be a live service one; it has been likened as being more akin to Halo: The Master Chief Collection in this regard. The campaign takes place on a single Halo ring; the campaign has been described as being larger than the campaigns of Halo 4 and 5 combined. The campaign will have four player online co-op and two-player local splitscreen co-op.

The game will have dynamic day/night cycles. Enemies will sometimes act differently per the time of day (e.g. Unggoy sleeping at night). Some weather elements will also feature, such as wind, and fog coming in at different altitudes. Rain and snowstorms won't feature at launch, but may be added in the future.

The gameplay is inspired by the original trilogy, especially Halo 3, along with the gameplay from Halo: Reach and the Reclaimer Saga, with a focus on the use of Equipment rather than Armor abilities. Unlike the original trilogy, however, the player has the Sprint ability as well as the Slide ability from Halo 5: Guardians. Like Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite will not feature playable Sangheili in multiplayer or dual wielding at launch.

Multiplayer

Infinite's multiplayer mode will be free-to-play and will support 120FPS on Xbox Series X. Cross-play and cross-progression will be available, allowing players to carry multiplayer customization and progress across all platforms. Competitive playlists will be restricted based on input devices. The game will have some form of microtransactions in multiplayer and an "out of game" progression system. Lootboxes may feature, but they won't be purchasable with real-world money.

Forge will be included in Halo Infinite, featuring an "Undo & Redo" buttons. As with Halo 5: Guardians, Infinite will feature weapon variants of several weapons.

Audio

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Voice Cast

• Steve Downes as John-117
• Jen Taylor as Cortana and Catherine Halsey
• Nicolas Roye as "The Pilot"
• Darin de Paul as Escharum
• Verlon Roberts as Spartan Griffin

Marketing

An image released by 343 Industries to promote their Halo 5: Guardians REQ charity event in June–July 2020, depicting Halo Infinite variations of John-117, UNSC Marines and Warthogs.

E3 2018 trailer

Main article: Halo Infinite - E3 2018 - Announcement Trailer

On June 10, 2018 an announcement trailer for Halo Infinite was released, showcasing the ideas of what 343 Industries have in mind for the game.

E3 2019 trailer

Main article: Halo Infinite - E3 2019 - Discover Hope Trailer

On June 9, 2019, a new, five minute trailer for Halo Infinite debuted alongside the announcement of Project Scarlett. This trailer introduced a new human character, and revealed John-117's fully redesigned armor, alongside a damaged Halo installation.

343 Industries YouTube video

Main article: We Are 343 Industries

On Jan 30, 2020, a video was released, that showcased what the developers have in mind for the game as well as shared some comments on the Slipspace engine.

The Art of Halo Infinite

Main article: The Art of Halo Infinite

To coincide with the game's release, an associated art book is set to release on December 29, 2020, showcasing the artwork for the game created by the team at 343 Industries.

Signal Detected teaser

Main article: Signal Detected teaser

On June 24, 2020, a teaser was uploaded to YouTube by 343 Industries. The short teaser features a Jiralhanae voice proclaiming a Halo ring to be under the control of the Banished.

E3 2020 substitute: Xbox Games Showcase

Main articles: Become – Step Inside Trailer, Campaign Gameplay Premiere, Campaign Gameplay Trailer

The online Xbox Games Showcase on July 23, 2020, released the Become – Step Inside trailer, followed by a 9-minute demonstration of the campaign gameplay. The Campaign Gameplay Trailer was released as a follow-up.

Inside Infinite

Inside Infinite is a series of monthly updates made by 343 Industries, where several members of Infinite's development team talk about the updates they have made on the game since the Showcase demo. Starting from December 2020, Joseph Staten and other team members have revealed and talked about specific themes in each monthly update, with the updates being planned to be disclosured until May 2021:

• December 2020: Art and graphics updates since the July 2020 Demo, including the first glimpses to Infinite's multiplayer and revealing some GEN3 permutations
• January 2021: Infinite's sandbox (including weapons, vehicles, and equipment)
• February 2021: Zeta Halo environments
• March 2021: Audio design
• April 2021: Halo Infinite's PC version
• May 2021: To be announced

Action Figures

Following their initial reveal over the weekend at the New York Toy Fair, Microsoft has revealed higher-resolution images of the new Halo Infinite action figures that are on the way.

The items, which are made by Wicked Cool Toys in partnership with developer 343 Industries, include collectible figures and "premium" helmets. The 6.5" Master Chief figure is particularly noteworthy because its art and design is seemingly based off his MJOLNIR armor design from Halo 1-3, before 343 changed things up when it took over the franchise from Bungie.

There are also new Unggoy and Sangheili figures coming, in addition to what appears to be a life-size Master Chief helmet featuring working headlamps.

The images also reveal that there will be new figures for Halo Infinite's villains. Some of these villains remain as TBD (To Be Determined/Decided). One such villain has been revealed to be Hyperius.

Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft has given more details about the Xbox Series X, including technical specs and consumer-facing features like its new Smart Delivery. In the process, it also reaffirmed it will continue to support some of its current initiatives, like Game Pass, for the upcoming Halo Infinite.

In the announcement, Microsoft confirmed that Game Pass will continue to include first-party games, specifically name-dropping Halo Infinite. The post also briefly mentioned its array of 15 Xbox Game Studios in relation to Game Pass. In addition, the Series X will be backward compatible with previous Xbox generations, so any Game Pass games from prior generations will be playable too.

Halo Infinite is also the flagship product for Microsoft's new Smart Delivery feature. That means the user will be able to purchase it and any other participating game on Xbox One, and when he/she upgrades his/her hardware to the Series X, the user will already own the next-gen version. Third-party participation is voluntary.

All this means that whether the user plays Halo Infinite through a Game Pass subscription or a full game purchase, they will get the upgraded next-gen version of the game when you get an Xbox Series X. Microsoft was expected to share more details on the Xbox Series X at its E3 2020 presentation, though this is to be replaced with a "digital event" due to the cancellation of E3 2020 because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Brand tie-ins

Examples of some of the brand tie-ins and rewards.

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Trivia

• 343 Industries created a joke script for Halo 6 in 2016, titled Halo 6: Yabda Cuts Loose. It was featured in their mannequin challenge video.

Gallery

Promotional images

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  Key art

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  Key art box version.

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  A view of Master Chief's new armor design in the Xbox Series X reveal trailer.

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  Halo Infinite box art revealed on the eve of Xbox Games Showcase.

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  Full version of box art.

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  An official limited-edition screenprint promoting Halo Infinite.

Development images

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  Concept art of John-117's armor, from a panel.

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  Standalone image of John-117's helmet.

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  The Master Chief holding his helmet.

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  A desert Biome.

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  Early development of Master Chief's armor.

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  Pre-release screenshots showing off the game's day-night cycle.

Logos

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  Logo for Halo Infinite on black backdrop.

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  Logo for Halo Infinite, meant for use on a dark backdrop.

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  Logo for Halo Infinite, meant for use on a light backdrop.