Halo Infinite exploded onto the gaming scene after its surprise launch of free multiplayer in November 2021, but since then it has faced a steady decline. Halo Infinite's downfall has been caused by multiple factors, such as a disliked cash shop, connection issues, and an unfortunate lack of content.
However, longtime fans of the series are staying hopeful that future changes will cause the game to surge in popularity once again. With Halo Infinite season 2 being revealed to the public as well as the highly anticipated Forge mode on the horizon, members of the player base are trying to stay optimistic in the face of a content drought and a lack of transparency from 343.
Currently, one area that the game is severely lacking in is the amount of maps it contains for multiplayer gameplay. With just 10 maps in the multiplayer pool, some of which are exclusively for Big Team Battle mode, the lack of diversity in maps has led to a stale experience for players. Luckily, rumors point toward Halo Infinite adding new maps in the future, and recently a picture was leaked displaying a potential new map.
Popular Halo news account InfiniteLeaks posted a picture of what looks to be an unfinished map that they claim is going to be a new multiplayer map. Called Frigate, the map features an enormous UNSC ship that came in for a crash landing on a snowy mountainside. Though currently unclear, it looks as though the map will be a smaller arena map based on the picture. With Halo Infinite's cooperative campaign delayed again, a new map leak is a promising bit of news for fans looking toward future content.
The comments section beneath the tweet was excited and optimistic about the picture. Many users pointed out that Frigate could be a spiritual successor to Halo 3's avalanche map due to the two looking incredibly similar and containing the same structures. One user hoped the map would be another Big Team Battle map; with the extremely limited current pool, just one more map for the mode would be a huge deal.
While the addition of new maps would be a huge deal for the game, even Halo Infinite devs recognize fan patience is wearing thin in the face of major connection issues and a lack of new content. If Frigate is a real map, 343 needs to release it as soon as possible, as the alternative will be a dwindling player base irritated by a lack of updates and communication.
Halo Infinite is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.