Halo Infinite is one of the most highly anticipated video games in recent history. A continuation of Master Chief's story from 2015's divisive Halo 5, fans are chomping at the bit to learn more about the newest adventure. While details have been scarce recently, Spartan 117 did show up in a new video today, just not in the form fans expect.
Slated to be the launch title for the Xbox Series X, Halo Infinite was infamously delayed for a year after a largely negative reception to the title's initial gameplay trailer. While one of the only recent game-related updates isn't very content-substantial, confirming Xbox-PC crossplay and progression, Halo Infinite's associated merchandise is another story.
Posted to the official Halo YouTube channel is a video titled "Jazwares: World of Halo, Episode 1." The roughly minute-long video is of several new Halo action figures, brought to life through the magic of stop-motion animation. The clip shows Master Chief literally jumping out of his packaging Toy Story-style, armed with his trusty Battle Rifle. It then cuts to a scene depicting an engagement between the Covenant and UNSC Marines. The UNSC forces get the jump on a group of Grunts, only to draw out a sniper Jackal, Elite, and Brute. After one Marine takes out the Elite, he's about to be crushed by the Brute's Gravity Hammer. That is, until Master Chief jumps into the fray, spearing the Brute with an Energy Sword and saving the day.
The toys featured in the charming animated short may just be publicly available now, but they were actually first seen at the Halo booth at last year's New York Toy Fair. Photos from the 2020 tradeshow revealed numerous products, including what appear to be conceptual versions of the figures used in the video. The same display reveals other action figures of varying stature, along with some impressively detailed Warthog models, cosplay and display helmets, and even a roleplay version of a near-full sized Energy Sword. While the life-size items surely won't make it into the stop motion video series, it should be interesting to see if Jazwares incorporates some of the other displayed products.
Jazwares isn't the only company to produce poseable Halo action figures, and actually isn't the first to create a stop-motion short with them. One dedicated fan made a stop-motion video using the Halo Mega Construx figures almost a month ago. While the fan-made video is much more basic, showing a 10-second clip of an Elite moving against an empty backdrop, it easily could've been what inspired the more robust video fans are watching today.
While Halo Infinite may still be pretty far out from its expected launch window, fans can brush up on some of the franchise's extended lore. The Halo: Legacy Collection is a collection of the prequel comics for Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo Reach, giving fans a deeper understanding of what events led up to Infinite as they await its release.
Halo Infinite is scheduled to release this fall for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.