Despite what everyone thought, Halo Infinite isn't done with Craig yet. In a video posted to YouTube by Mint Blitz, who has early access to the campaign, an Easter egg was found referencing the infamous Brute.
Craig is the name given to a Brute featured in the first gameplay trailer for Halo Infinite. The video premiered July 23, 2020, and Craig arrives shortly after the four-minute mark. Fans quickly tore the trailer apart, and in particular, lambasted the poor graphical quality of Craig. Since then, a new trailer was revealed on October 25, and Brutes received quite the rework. While many would have assumed Craig would have received the same rework, the evidence in the video below seems to suggest otherwise.
The Easter egg, found by Mint Blitz, is located in a particularly difficult-to-reach spot in the campaign. Atop the building at the start of the fourth mission is a memorial of sorts to Craig that doubles as an advertisement. It would appear that Craig has had quite a successful music career and has a full tour planned in the year 2560. It is focused entirely on the Zeta Halo and consists of nine concerts starting on October 24 at Outpost Tremonius and concluding on November 15 at House of Reckoning.
In addition to the ad, there is a setup for playing a concert. Among the lights and equipment is an album. Greatest Hits includes 14 songs by the apparently famous Brute musician. Many of the songs seem to be a reference to one thing or another from the initial gameplay reveal. For instance, "I Can't Grow Beard" is a reference to the surprise beards that Brutes grew following vicious mockery from fans. "Popped In The Chin By My Friend" is clearly another reference to the Halo Infinite gameplay demo where Master Chief performed a melee attack on the visibly unimpressed Craig. The full list of songs follows:
- "I Smile Inside"
- "For The Craig"
- "I Was Alone"
- "I Got Tears Last Summer"
- "My Mom Used to Love Me"
- "Popped In The Chin By My Friend"
- "Space Gophers, Where'd The Rhinos Go?"
- "The Smell Of Flowers Makes Me Happy"
- "Your Words Hurt, But I Love It"
- "The Day You Become A Meme"
- "Grunt! Grunt! Grunt!"
- "I Can't Grow Beard"
- "I Am So Famous"
It's nice to see the humility and that 343 Industries can take a jab and turn it into something playful. Craig is one of those rare phenomena in gaming where something positive can come out of a negative. It wasn't a forced meme and in the end, everyone had fun with it. Now, if only 343 Industries would make a full-length album for the fictitious rockstar the way Guardians of the Galaxy did with the Star-Lord band.
Halo Infinite will be released on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on December 8. The multiplayer beta is available now.