Since releasing at the end of 2021, 343 Industries' Halo Infinite has been a marked success for Microsoft and Xbox. Halo Infinite was the second best-selling game of December 2021 behind Call of Duty: Vanguard, despite its multiplayer component ostensibly being free via Xbox Game Pass. It hasn't been widely viewed on platforms like Twitch, but Master Chief's latest outing should have a long life thanks to a seasonal content system and battle pass.
One thing that promises to keep Halo Infinite relevant is a rotating set of special events, often utilizing limited-time modes (LTMs). Three have debuted since the game launched, with Season 1: Heroes of Reach's recurring Fracture: Tenrai event making its third appearance this week. A few patterns have been established from the events 343 Industries released, but one lesson the developer should take is it might be better to focus on blanket participation rather than getting lucky with challenge pop-ups.
Halo Infinite's Special Events So Far
Fracture: Tenrai started it all, acting as a sort of test for what special events in Halo Infinite would look like during the game's open multiplayer beta. The event is split across six sessions, the first taking place the week of November 23, 2021. It returned for the week of January 4, and after this week's coverage will be back again the week of February 22, March 19, and April 19. When Halo Infinite Season 2 begins, a new iteration of the "Fracture" formula will come with it.
What made the recurring event special was its Fiesta Slayer playlist, something unique during the open multiplayer beta when all fans could select was Quick Play with a rotating selection of modes like Capture the Flag and Oddball. Fiesta would be added as a permanent option down the line alongside modes such as Tactical Slayer, but players could only advance through the 30 free items in Fracture: Tenrai's battle pass by completing challenges that appeared for the event playlist.
After Fracture: Tenrai, 343 Industries released a Christmas-themed Winter Contingency event that ran from December 21, 2021 to January 3, 2022. It included only 10 items, but these were earned simply by playing one match of any kind per-day rather than having to complete specific challenges. The game's third major event, Cyber Showdown, launched January 18 and just ended on February 1. Over this two-week period Halo Infinite fans could play a new Attrition game mode, and its 10 items inspired by 1980s aesthetics were unlocked via challenges similar to the Fracture: Tenrai LTM.
Why the Winter Contingency Model May Be Better
The benefits to 343 Industries structuring events like Fracture: Tenrai and Cyber Showdown are clear. Using new LTMs gives the developer a chance to polish each game mode before releasing permanent playlists, as it will soon for Attrition. Weekly challenges are Halo Infinite's prime source of battle pass experience, so by hiding the challenges for new event items in this rotation it encourages users to frequently test the LTM and gain overall progression.
However, the fact that Halo Infinite's battle pass challenges are randomly disseminated is an issue. Challenges relevant to modes like Oddball, still locked in the random Quick Play playlist, may present roadblocks to actually obtaining an LTM challenge. Some of these challenges also stack, so a player may be frustrated to find they got five kills with an Assault Rifle before a new challenge asking for 15 kills appears that could have taken advantage of previous matches.
Simply asking players to take part in one match like Winter Contingency is not a perfect solution either, as 343 Industries is likely after high concurrent player numbers. A ton of people logging on to play one match may not present the same feedback as fewer dedicated people playing a dozen matches to complete numerous challenges. Yet that extra time investment may filter out a lot of fans who have moved on in a way that one battle per-day would not. It's a tough balancing act that 343 Industries is continuing to sort out, but using participatory metrics with new, exciting game modes seems an overall solid way to capture as wide an appeal as possible.
Halo Infinite is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.