Fans have been waiting a long time for the latest entry into the beloved Halo franchise, and at launch, it seemed like Halo Infinite really delivered. The game brought the series back to basics, with a focus on Master Chief and his few and far between emotional connections with other characters, as well as a well-designed open-world setting and superior story to its predecessor. Halo Infinite served as a kind of spiritual reboot for the series – a much-needed reset after the slightly underwhelming and at times even controversial reception for other recent installments. With a generally positive reaction from both fans and critics, it seemed like Halo Infinite was going to set the series back on track.
However, some post-launch issues have started to sour the game's reception and might mean that Halo Infinite is in danger of losing a lot of its playerbase. With a lack of new content or support following the game's December release last year, developer 343 Industries has disappointed fans further with a recent announcement that Halo Infinite's campaign co-op will be delayed yet again. Originally meant to be available at launch, co-op was then delayed to the start of Season 2 due to launch in May. However, players will now have to wait even longer, and some are wondering what 343 will be offering to help tide them over in the meantime.
Halo Infinite's Post-Launch Content
Ever since the first Halo game, the co-op campaign has always been a popular element of the series. Halo Infinite is the only game in the franchise to date that hasn't supported a co-op campaign, and fans have been keenly aware of its absence.
Despite being promised this feature at launch, a second delay now means that fans will have to wait to play either four-person online co-op or two-person split screen at some later date during Season 2 of Halo Infinite. Split-screen was a feature missing from the divisive Halo 5: Guardians, and fans were promised its return with the next installment. Developer 343 said that Halo Infinite's open-world setting has created problems for co-operative gameplay, and fans are only hoping that this doesn't mean it cannot be implemented at all.
A general lack of post-launch content and a lackluster roadmap for Halo Infinite in 2022 has led to growing player frustration. Not only has content been sparse, but so have updates, making gamers question just what is going on behind the scenes. With 343's claims that Halo Infinite will house the future of the franchise for the next ten years, players were expecting regular updates at the very least in addition to new ongoing content releases. Now with the announcement of more delays and uncertainty around updates, it seems 343 might have some making up to do with regard to Halo's fan base.
The Argument For More Multiplayer Elements
With promises that Halo Infinite will be the focus of the franchise for many years to come, players are wondering how this might work in terms of content updates and the progression of Master Chief's storyline. A recent job listing for 343 Industries suggested that seasonal story content and multiplayer elements would be the defining elements of the game's post-launch life, giving a glimpse into how Halo infinite will plan to grow over the coming years. While it's not quite the story DLC that fans might have wanted, there are at least promising hints that story-focused updates will help to tie up the narrative loose ends from the conclusion of Halo Infinite's main campaign.
With the release of the co-op campaign on hold again, fans need something to keep them coming back to Halo Infinite. Although the game was well-received, one of the criticisms it faced was a lack of content at launch, as well as a free-to-play multiplayer that was occasionally buggy and unbalanced. Many popular multiplayer modes from previous titles were missing, and fans are also waiting patiently for the fan-favorite Forge mode for Halo Infinite as well. Developer 343 needs to get better at updating fans with content plans, as well as providing something extra like more regular additional features, or else risk losing the goodwill built up from a pretty positive release.
Halo Infinite is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.