A trailer for the new Slipspace Engine announced Halo Infinite, which is the unofficial Halo 6. Here we summarize what we already know about the upcoming installment of the Halo series.
Not Halo 6, but Halo Infinite will be the next installment of the shooter series. We will compile what we know about Halo Infinite from 343 Industries here for you.
The trailer from the Xbox presentation
Trailer gives a first glimpse: The first announcement of the Xbox presentation during E3 2018 was the video for Halo Infinite. Dark, damp caves, dense forests, a desert where a tent was swaying in the wind, and wild, alien animals were showcased. There were also many references to the titular Halos, artificial ring worlds scattered throughout the Halo universe.
Only at the end of the trailer did it become clear that the video was indeed supposed to announce a new installment of the Halo series. The camera moves over a forest with a lake until it suddenly shows the left side of an unknown figure. It only becomes clear when the image focuses on the iconic helmet held by the person that this is the Master Chief.
This is not the game: After the presentation, Microsoft announced that the trailer was merely a demo for the new Slipspace Engine, which Halo Infinite will be based on. The final game could be different from what one might infer from the video. Nevertheless, the trailer is intended to provide a clear indication of the direction in which Halo Infinite is expected to develop.
In Halo Infinite, the Master Chief is once again in focus
Master Chief will once again take center stage: After Master Chief had to share the spotlight with Spartan Locke in Halo 5, John-117 will return to the lead role in Halo Infinite.
The developer studio 343 Industries stated in a blog post that they have acknowledged player criticism of Halo 5 and that Halo Infinite will once again focus entirely on Master Chief and his journey following the events of the last Halo installment.
Developers confirm splitscreen and tests
Co-op is back on board: In a stream, the developers from 343 Industries revealed that Halo Infinite will allow splitscreen gameplay again. The engine has been successfully tested for 4-player co-op.
Community will test: In addition, extensive community testing, called “Flighting Programs,” are planned for Halo Infinite. In these “flights,” players will be invited to try out the new features of the shooter together with the developers.
“Flights” will initially start small, but over time, more testers will be added. These programs will also take place on PC, but likely later than on console.
Halo Infinite as a Game-as-a-Service?
Employee raises questions: The developer studio 343 Industries announced the hiring of Justin Robey as “Director of Player Voice” for Halo Infinite. Robey is supposed to give players an active voice during development, launch, and throughout the lifecycle of Halo Infinite.
The newly created position, along with a previous job listing, sounds like a hint at a Game-as-a-Service model.
Halo Infinite will also be released for Windows 10
Halo for Xbox and PC: With Halo Infinite, a title from the shooter series will appear on the PC for the first time since Halo 2 exclusively for Windows 10. It is expected that the next installment of the Halo franchise will be released as a Play Anywhere game.
This means that once purchased, digital Play Anywhere titles can be played on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs without additional cost. Games can be paused on the Xbox One and continued on the Windows 10 PC – and vice versa. Cross-platform multiplayer will also be possible for some titles.
The new Slipspace Engine is also said to have been developed with PC in mind. PC players are expected to feel like “first-class citizens”.
Release is still a while away
Is Halo Infinite already next-gen? During E3 2018, 343 Industries stated that it will still be a while before Halo Infinite is released. At the same time, Xbox boss Phil Spencer indicated that Microsoft was already working on the next Xbox consoles. The upcoming Xbox generation is expected to carry the working title “Scarlett” and is slated for release in 2020.
Now, the US website GameSpot is already speculating about whether Halo Infinite will indeed still be released for the current console generation or if it might even be a next-gen launch title for the next Xbox.
More about it:
- Halo Infinite is coming – but the release is still a long way off
- Rumor: New Xbox runs under codename “Scarlett” – Release 2020
Long-time voice actor may return
Is Steve Downes returning? At least the players among you who play Halo in the original English will remember the gravelly voice of the Master Chief. During the release of Halo 5 in 2015, it seemed that voice actor Steve Downes would hang up his Spartan helmet. In the same year, Downes also announced his retirement as a radio presenter.
Now, however, it seems that the voice actor is once again eager to embody the Master Chief. When asked by the Halo Twitter account whether fans are ready to get back to work, Downes replied that he was born ready.
