Microsoft and 343 Industries' Halo Infinite was delayed in August 2020, in-part due to complications resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The game had also received a lukewarm reception at the time, with many latching onto memes like Craig the Brute, over anything substantial from the Xbox Games Showcase event that July. Luckily, it seems the developer has gotten a lot done since then, as fans have been excited by the Halo Infinite multiplayer technical test that launched this weekend.
With the game seemingly on more stable footing, that leaves fans more time to consider underlying systems like Halo Infinite's seasonal battle pass. There are an abundance of live-service games that use battle pass seasons to keep players coming back for new content, from indies like Super Animal Royale to AAA mainstays like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - which is now teasing Season 5. Halo Infinite's multiplayer will be free and easily accessible to any Xbox Game Pass subscriber, which makes its battle pass all the more important. Based on what has been revealed so far, there's one path that seems likely for 343 Industries to take.
Halo Infinite's Multiplayer: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Halo Infinite's first season of content is based on 2010's Halo Reach, titled "Heroes of Reach." Like most other games' battle passes, some cosmetics will be free-to-unlock for all players (such as a samurai-inspired Yoroi Spartan armor set), while others are locked behind a paid track. However, it's the theme of the season that really matters.
On top of being one of the more popular entries in the long-running first-person shooter franchise, and Bungie's final Halo game before moving on to the sci-fi IP Destiny, Halo Reach is important to the lore of the universe. It chronicles the fall of Reach, a human colony attacked by Covenant forces early into its war with the United Nations Space Command (UNSC). Players follow the Spartan strike force Noble Team as they fend off the Covenant with the UNSC, and a major part of the story involves delivering the AI Cortana to Pillar of Autumn: the deep-space cruiser where she would later join forces with Master Chief.
The idea of Halo Infinite beginning its seasonal content with a homage to Halo Reach is fitting, given that game is technically the immediate precursor to the Master Chief's story. Spin-off games like Halo Wars and media chronicling events like the reign of the Forerunners before Halo 4, these predate the events of Reach. However, as Halo Infinite could be a culmination of Master Chief's story, it makes sense to begin its extra content with Reach.
As a result, it would also make sense for subsequent seasons to follow Master Chief's story in chronological order. There's potential for at least five seasons utilizing the original Halo trilogy, as well as 343 Industries' Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. Other games like Halo 3: ODST could also appear despite being spin-offs, depending on what the developer wants to accomplish. With there also being rumors that Halo Infinite will include a battle royale mode, that feature could have more unique content as its traditional multiplayer mode "plays the hits," so to speak.
It's hard to say what direction 343 Industries will take with its seasonal system given "Heroes of Reach" is the only season currently announced. With the wider access of the upcoming title's free multiplayer component, the developer could appease fans of the franchise new and old with a trip through history. Those fans are still waiting to learn Halo Infinite's official release date, but it's safe to say the game looks a lot more promising than it did upon being delayed last year.
Halo Infinite is set to launch in 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.