When Halo Infinite first launched in late 2021, fans of the sci-fi franchise found that some expected elements of the game appeared to be absent. Things like playable Elites, multiplayer assassinations, and more had appeared in other Halo titles but were notably missing from Halo Infinite. However, since the game first launched, developer 343 Industries has been consistently providing new updates to enhance the experience for players, along with promising that most of the features found to be missing at launch would be returning somewhere down the line.One of the most notable missing features for fans was the lack of a co-op campaign in Halo Infinite. Playing the main story of a Halo game with a buddy had been a feature of the franchise for well over a decade, and in Halo 3 it seemed the game almost expected the player to have an accompanying friend in their game due to the inclusion of the Arbiter as a secondary character. Halo fans were relieved, then, when they found out that Halo Infinite would be getting a co-op campaign experience, with a beta or "test flight" release date set for July 2022.It seems that 343 Industries did not plan for the release date of this beta to be so concrete. According to 343 Community Director Brian Jarrard, the team is still working on the "flight build" for Halo Infinite's co-op campaign and the targeted release of July 11 has been pushed back. There are still plans to get the co-op beta out to fans this week, but there are currently no promises of a new, specific time for it to drop.
Jarrard further explained that the July 11 date was never a solid expectation for when the Halo Infinite co-op campaign beta could be expected. Rather, the team had hoped they could get it working by then, but had recently discovered some issues that prevented the current build from being released. As stated, the team at 343 is still reportedly working on a beta, but it seems fans may be waiting a little longer before they can test out Halo Infinite's story with a friend.
Jarrard didn't state whether this delay would affect the full launch of Halo Infinite's co-op campaign in August, something some fans already expect to be delayed. He did say that work was being done on a "day to day" basis, implying that the focus right now is being put entirely on getting a working beta out. Some fans will be happy to wait to ensure that the Halo Infinite co-op campaign beta is polished, while others are still frustrated that this feature wasn't a part of the game at launch.
Halo Infinite is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.