It has been a bumpy ride for Halo Infinite since its announcement. From its first CG trailer, the game and its developer 343 Industries had something to prove. Fans were ready for a massive Halo title that marked the series' return to form, but it took a while to get there. After a rough first gameplay showing, Halo Infinite was delayed by an entire year past the launch of the Xbox Series X/S. As test flights and more footage came out leading up to launch, it seemed like that delay had been worth it. Launching the free multiplayer a few weeks before the singleplayer campaign let fans get their hands on it sooner. After so much buildup, Halo Infinite proved to be an enjoyable Halo experience.
Halo Infinite's campaign was met with a generally positive reception, but its fans are still waiting on its co-op aspect. The bulk of Halo Infinite criticism is centered on its multiplayer, and how 343 Industries has been managing it. Season 1 multiplayer has been going on for about six months since its beta launch. The long-awaited roadmap for Season 2 and 3 has finally been posted alongside the second season's May 3 release date. Unfortunately, the roadmap also clarified that Season 2 will also last for six months. Fans fear for Halo Infinite's longevity, and only time will tell if some promised features will be enough to bring players back.
Halo Infinite is Already Growing Stagnant
Halo Infinite is suffering from two kinds of problems right now: Structural issues, and a lack of new content. As both of these are exacerbated by the large gaps between major updates, deciding to continue with six-month seasons feels like a poor one. Halo Infinite launched with unappealing microtransactions and oddly restrictive cosmetics, two problems that have not yet been fully addressed. Even worse was Infinite's progression system, which often demanded that players ignore map objectives to focus more on grinding quests.
The relative lack of content and its inflexibility has not done Halo Infinite favors either. When the game first came out, players were unable to select the modes they'd prefer in the regular online play. The lack of past game modes, especially Forge, was keenly felt, and some even resorted to playing primarily with the chaotic rules of the seasonal Fracture: Tenrai event just to consistently play Slayer. Playlists have been added since, and more modes and maps are coming, but it feels like too little, too late. While the rumored battle royale mode isn't appealing to the whole fanbase, it may take something that big to justify such long absences between major content updates.
What Halo Infinite Can Do About Fixing Its Support
The current schedule for Halo Infinite's roadmap gives the impression that massively staggered updates are all that's possible for Halo Infinite for now. It isn’t realistic to expect every live service game to keep up with the breakneck pace and variety offered by Fortnite's updates, especially years into its life, but it can serve as a general model that other games can aspire to.
An attempt to sprinkle larger updates between Halo Infinite’s seasonal shifts is being made with the campaign co-op and Forge updates coming late this summer. These features are beloved and need to be added as promised, so an online-only co-op campaign and a Forge beta with enhancements for each coming later is better than nothing.
All that can be done now for Halo Infinite is for its regular updates and blog posts to continue. 343 Industries intends to have at least one “Drop Pod” released every month, containing some sort of quality of life update. These are intended to drop fast with a clear target just like their Halo 3: ODST namesakes. They will consist of bug fixes, new features, and content to address issues impacting player experience.
More steady updates have been promised as the development team finds its footing, and “multiplayer narrative events,” which sound vaguely like Fortnite's active storytelling, are intended to start in Season 2. As long as future seasons are more compact and feature-rich, Halo Infinite still has a chance to keep things fresh.
Halo Infinite is now available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.