A Halo Infinite developer has revealed more information about why split-screen co-op was canceled for the game. As Halo Infinite has been added onto through somewhat regular updates with maps, cosmetics, and more, some fans that have anticipated a local co-op now know some of the challenging logistics that kept it from happening.
Head of Halo Infinite Live Service Sean Baron has expressed during an IGN Live show that Halo Infinite split-screen co-op was close to 80% functional, but what was required to reach 100% surpassed what the studio was willing to cover. Except for Halo 5 and Halo Infinite, all the main series Halo games have offered split-screen co-op which has left some players wondering what happened after it was initially promised for the latest installment. Given this intrigue, IGN Live inquired for more details about the development of the local co-op campaign, and Baron surprised some fans by speaking openly.
According to Sean Baron, Halo Infinite's local co-op had years of work put into it, but 343 Industries kept running into problems "from a technical perspective" that would cause crashes, glitches, and other issues. Baron doubled down on the fact that 343 Industries couldn't commit to getting Halo Infinite split-screen "from an 80% quality to a 100% quality" because the amount of effort required is too hard to gauge. Something that Baron points to as an issue outside the technological ones is the certification Halo Infinite would need to run local co-op for all the platforms that the game is available on which would present their own challenges as well.
Given that Sean Baron stated that he isn't "even sure how long" developing a split-screen Halo Infinite co-op "would take right now," the project will remain canceled, and it may be a feature that's missing from future Halo titles as well. Because Halo Infinite broke the linear structure of classic Halo campaigns in favor of an open-world level design, some technical difficulties may have been tied to the innovations of the story that players have been exploring since last year. While abilities like the Thruster and Drop Wall have been included in previous Halo titles, other Halo Infinite features like the Grappleshot may have also created some of the campaign glitches that 343 Industries kept running into during local co-op development.
Although some Halo Infinite players continue to lament the cancelation of split-screen co-op, the top responses to the interview celebrate how candidly Sean Baron spoke about the game's development. While one fan praised Halo Infinite's upcoming Winter update as a step in the right direction, others replied to the interview with questions of their own.
Halo Infinite is available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.