Monday, July 20, 2020
This big holiday launch title could be more than just a normal Halo game.
What you need to know
- Halo Infinite is the next big entry in the Halo franchise.
- Speaking with Polygon, Phil Spencer hinted that Halo Infinite will be something of an ongoing platform.
- Per Windows Central's sources, the multiplayer may be entirely free-to-play.
- Halo Infinite is currently set to launch alongside the Xbox Series X in Holiday 2020.
Halo Infinite is easily the biggest upcoming title from Xbox Game Studios. So much of what has been shown so far has been 343 Industries focusing on a spiritual reboot that draws from Halo's beginnings. The exact form the game will take post-launch however, could be very different from traditional Halo titles.
Phil Spencer, executive vice president of gaming at Microsoft, recently spoke with Polygon about how 343 Industries has learned as a studio. His comments also provided some interesting, if cryptic, insights into the type of game Halo Infinite will be.
"There's been a ton of learning in the studio around what does it mean to actually have a collection, the kind of totality of the Halo lore and stories and experience inside of one Halo world, one Halo UI, and platform," Spencer said. "As 343 has gone through this journey, they've seen some of the benefits of not requiring that our customers make a decision between 'Do I want to play this one or that one?' I feel like in a way, the games almost compete with each other. You see that with some of the annualized franchises that are out there — which clearly Halo's not annualized — but you see that where you spend a lot of energy actually trying to move the customers who are already playing your game to a new version of your game. I think as gaming has evolved, there's a view of 'Our customers are our customers and we should respect them where they are.' It's similar to our Xbox message, and I think you'll see that in terms of the way Infinite is talked about — even the structure of what the game is itself."
With this in mind, it's possible that Halo Infinite receives extensive post-launch support, turning Halo into a platform instead of just a game. This kind of service-esque approach would certainly make sense in an age of massive ongoing titles. It's also in line with some unconfirmed rumors that sources close to Windows Central have disclosed, including the strong possibility of Halo Infinite's multiplayer being free-to-play, not unlike how Call of Duty: Warzone is available without purchasing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
The Xbox Games Showcase on July 23 will finally unveil just what's in store with Halo Infinite. Even if the focus is on showing the campaign, we still might get an idea of how this title is a platform that'll grow over time. Halo Infinite and the Xbox Series X are both expected to launch at some point in Holiday 2020.
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