Halo Infinite is the official name for Halo 6, and it’s coming to PC—but not until this autumn. After Infinite’s poorly received 2020 gameplay reveal, 343 decided to reassess its planned launch date and push the game back a whole year. That debut did give us a look at Halo Infinite’s main enemies, The Banished, and some new gadgets and weapons for Master Chief. There’s also that new, much bigger Halo environment we’ll be exploring.
“This is my last fight, a true test of legends,” Escharum says at the end of the gameplay reveal. “Our story will outlive us both. Set a fire in your heart, Spartan. Bare your fangs. Fight hard. Die well.”
Feedback from fans (and poor slack-faced Brute Craig becoming a meme) made it clear Halo Infinite’s graphics weren’t up to expectations. In late 2020, 343 brought Bungie veteran Joseph Staten onboard to help guide Halo Infinite in its final year, towards a fall 2021 release.
In December, Staten wrote a post calling Infinite’s release “just the beginning of the adventure” and saying to expect regular updates “sharing more about what we’re doing and, most importantly, why we’re doing it.”
What is the Halo Infinite release date?
Halo Infinite will release in autumn 2021.
It was originally planned as a launch title for the Xbox Series X, with a launch window during the 2020 holidays. Since then, 343 Industries has announced a delay to 2021 “to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a Halo game experience that meets our vision.”
Who wants to bet the release date ends up being November 15th, the 20th anniversary of Halo: Combat Evolved’s release?
Halo infinite has a more open world
As seen in the gameplay reveal, Halo Infinite will have a more open world than past Halo games. The section we got a look at was several hours into the game, at which point it sounds like Master Chief can tackle various objectives, though 343 says there’s still definitely a linear story to follow.
“What you saw in the demo that we showed, you have this map. There’s this huge open section of the ring. As you get to that point in the game, this is several hours into the campaign, then you have the ability to traverse that whole area and explore where you want to go on the ring,” studio head Chris Lee told IGN.
“That’s what we mean by open and explore the different places that you can go to. There’s definitely a sense of freedom that you haven’t had before [in Halo]. You will get to choose your path there. But we do also want to tell that story, so while you’re doing that we want to keep the story moving forward versus like a nonlinear story or something like that.”
“You’ll be pulled to some of these locations as well, which you could say is story-based. It’s also what the franchise is about. We really are trying to make sure there are things for Chief to do that reinforce the heroism and the hope he brings to humanity and those are pretty strong draws around the world,” added associate creative director Paul Crocker.
343 is also bringing the Ring to life a bit more with a day/night cycle and wildlife running around the open areas. MORE ON MASTER CHIEF
The Banished are back as Halo Infinite’s enemies
Our first hint at The Banished came in a transmission video published by 343 Industries includes an audio message from the rebellious faction of Brute mercenaries from Halo Wars 2. Here’s the transcript from their message:
“The hour approaches. Our forces occupy the ring. Within hours it will be under our control. Humanity will burn—their brazen defiance will be all but a memory. No more Prophets, no more lies. We stand together, brothers to the end. We are his will. We are his legacy. We are The Banished.”
So why did 343 choose The Banished? “Because they’re super cool and everyone likes them,” developer Paul Crocker joked with IGN. More seriously, he said “to have something that’s an evolution of the Covenant so you get some of the familiar, but something that’s different [too], and it comes together to feel fresh.”
The first gameplay reveal also introduced who a Banished leader named War Chief Escharum, the leader of The Banished on this Halo ring who appears to be the main antagonist. 343 told IGN that Escharum “is connected to The Banished in a fundamental way,” and calls this Halo ring his lats stand.
“This is my last fight, a true test of legends,” Escharum says at the end of the gameplay reveal. “Our story will outlive us both. Set a fire in your heart, Spartan. Bare your fangs. Fight hard. Die well.”
What about Cortana though? Twitter user Xepyal noticed something from the E3 2019 trailer: a series of red flashes in Master Chief’s visor that, when spliced together, form a QR code. The code led them to this audio clip. At the end of the clip, we hear Cortana say “This…this is part of me. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but it is me.” Rogue Cortana may yet play into the plot, though that may be a reveal 343 are looking to save for launch.
What new weapons are in Halo Infinite?
Courtesy of IGN, here is a list of new weapons you’ll be able to find and fire in Halo Infinite:
Ravager: A Banished three-round burst energy weapon that runs on plasma fuel.
Mangler: A Banished pistol with giant kinetic projectiles that fires more slowly than the UNSC pistol but deals more damage.
CQS48 Bulldog: New UNSC riot shotgun that replaces the classic shotgun.
VK78 Commando: This UNSC rifle can go full auto and is good for mid-long range.
Pulse Carbine: A familiar but not quite identical version of the classic Covenant carbine weapon.
