Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries released an update on the game's development today, giving fans their first look at the title's multiplayer and customization options in a new set of screenshots. The long-awaited update is fans' first major look at Halo Infinite since its showing at an Xbox press conference over the summer, which was met with mixed reactions.
A few weeks after the controversial reveal, 343 announced a delay into 2021 in order for the game to better meet both audience expectations and its own goals. Now the studio is showing off glimpses of the new PvP experience, and while fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the game in motion again, the new stills give the impression that the extra development time is proving beneficial.
343's update shares images from an untitled, upcoming multiplayer map in Infinite, as well as work-in-progress models of the S7 sniper rifle and the new incarnation of the SPNKR rocket launcher. The updated style seems to hold a higher level of visual fidelity than the demo from earlier this year, and blurs the line between photorealism and stylization in a way that feels like an updated take on the studio's previous work with Halo 4, which recently saw an updated rerelease on the PC version of the Master Chief Collection.
The studio also shared some peeks at the game's customization options for Spartans in multiplayer. 343 is updating the long-standing Halo tradition of letting players make their characters their own with a "coating" system for armor and weapons, evolving the established primary and secondary color system in favor of a more particular setup that lets players mix and match between different patterns and styles for individual parts of armor. Big plans seem to be in store for Infinite's customization system, which is intended to return to and build on the foundation set by the beloved Spartan builder in Halo: Reach.
Halo Infinite's development troubles became public knowledge after the game's delay into 2021. Most notably, Infinite has lost two game directors already, and former series writer/cinematic director Joseph Staten was brought on this year to serve as the game's creative director. The game's new fall 2021 release window is coming almost a year removed from its original plans to arrive alongside the Xbox Series X and S. But if 343 can stick the landing and reach their goal of bringing back the series' former glory with Infinite, fans of Halo old and new could have another modern classic to enjoy next year.
Halo Infinite is coming to PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in the fall of 2021.
Source: Halo Waypoint