Halo Infinite: Release Date, Platforms, Story, Gameplay, Multiplayer - top most popular games in 2021

Halo Infinite, developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios, is currently scheduled to be released in Fall 2021. Photo: Newsweek

Release Date

Halo Infinite was originally scheduled to launch on November 10th, 2020, the same day as the Xbox Series X|S launched, according to Realsport101.

But after showing off gameplay earlier in the year, fans weren't happy with what they saw.

This prompted 343 Industries to delay the game indefinitely while they fix a lot of the issues and improve the graphics.

The gameplay reveals also gave birth to the Craig meme.

Halo Infinite will now launch in 2021,343 Industries have said it will be in the Fall, so likely between September and November.

Platforms

Halo Infinite is currently scheduled to release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Windows Store and Steam.

Microsoft is all about the Xbox ecosystem right now and wants to make their games as accessible as possible, so are still planning to release them on Xbox One despite the sacrifices that will need to be made.

The game will also launch on PC on both Microsoft's own Windows Store and Steam.

Story and Gameplay

Video by IndianExpress

Halo Infinite was revealed with a cinematic trailer in 2018, but it is likely that more story elements are on the way. The narrative for Halo is extremely important to fans of the franchise, especially after the shortcomings in that area for Halo 5: Guardians. 343 Industries will want the lead up to Halo Infinite to be one that highlights how emotional this new Halo will be from a story perspective, and that will likely come in the form of either in-game cinematic trailers or CG promotional videos (ala the "Believe" campaign for Halo 3). The product itself is what is going to be most important, of course, but leading up to the release, Microsoft and 343 will likely want to put the minds of fans at ease by letting them know that this game is indeed heavy on the Master Chief, heavy on story, and heavy on a single-player focus that matters to fans who grew up playing the games.

Fans should also expect another gameplay reveal in the near future. The first full gameplay reveals of Halo Infinite ended with Craig memes; not with jaw drops. That was back in July of 2020, and it was not long after that Microsoft made the massive decision to postpone the game until 2021. 343 will want to do a redo, this time showing off what the Xbox Series X/S can really do.

The actual game idea is solid, it was clear what 343 was going for. Just like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a 3D realization of the original Legend of Zelda, where players can go anywhere in an open landscape with total freedom, Halo Infinite seems to allow players to explore a much more freeing world than has been seen in past Halo games. Once the kinks are fixed, the gameplay has the potential to "wow." 343 has said that the delay will be worth the wait, and the reshowing of the gameplay reveal could prove that.

Resolution and Frame Rate

Halo Infinite will target 4K 60fps for the campaign and 120fps for the multiplayer on the Xbox Series X.

It hasn't been revealed if it will be 4K 120fps or a lower resolution for the multiplayer aspect of the game.

343 Industries also haven't confirmed whether 4K will be native or upscaled, we will likely find out about this during the next update they give on the game.

The Xbox Series S will likely see a lower resolution, potentially 1440p 60fps, although this is unconfirmed.

Games Pass

All first-party Microsoft titles now release on Xbox Games Pass on day 1.

This means that players no longer need to pay $60-70 for a brand new game and can instead pay a monthly subscription to play all first-party titles at launch, as well as hundreds of other games.

Halo Infinite will launch on Games Pass on day 1, giving players a big incentive to subscribe to the service.

It is expected that the game will launch on Games Pass for PC at launch too.

Microtransactions

Due to the multiplayer being free to play, it is very likely there will be some kind of Season Pass for the online portion of the game, as well as an item shop where players can buy optional cosmetics for their character and weapons.

These should be entirely optional and won't provide any advantage for players.

Battle Royale?

Another massive piece of speculation is that Halo Infinite will reveal a battle royale mode in 2021. In some ways, it almost seems like it is too late to announce a battle royale. As big as the mode/genre is, a few contenders have already been swallowed by the genre and it is hard to find a footing now (see Battlefield's Firestorm or Radical Heights). But the Halo big team sandbox is absolutely perfect for a battle royale, said Gamerant.

Photo: Gamerant

With all of that being said, the developers have already shut down rumors about a battle royale for Halo Infinite. And many fans are against it as well. Some do not like the idea of it because they fear that it would take the talent away from other core modes or tasks. And it is true that 343 bit off more than it could chew with projects in the past, like Halo: The Master Chief Collection. But the developer who shot down the rumors could be simply trying to distract fans from the fact that a battle royale mode is on the way, and it is possible for 343 to outsource talent for different modes or ideas. Especially if Halo Infinite is a game that is supposed to have legs for the long haul, it would make sense for it to have a mode that is one of the most popular in all of multiplayer right now.

Full Multiplayer

Recently 343 showed off some gorgeous multiplayer screenshots of Halo Infinite, but thus far fans are waiting with bated breath for a full multiplayer reveal, including footage, weapons, modes, and more. So much is unknown about Halo Infinite's multiplayer, which makes it that much more exciting.

All that has been shown so far for Halo Infinite multiplayer is a couple of maps, a few gun models, and some images of customization items, but that is all. Players should expect a multiplayer reveal soon that will reveal weapons, player progression, maps, modes, and more.

Photo: Gamerant

As far as the modes, players should expect to see information on some versions of big team mode and arena-style mode. Big team modes usually house 16 players on massive outdoor maps, often with vehicles and a larger weapon pool. Meanwhile, arena-style modes are 6v6 and much more competitive. Halo 5: Guardians introduced a few other modes, like Warzone (not to be confused with Call of Duty: Warzone), a 24 player mode objective mode, and Breakout, a round-based one-life mode that has the chance to come back due to its popularity.

Huge Promotional Campaign

Fans should also expect Microsoft to promote Halo Infinite in big ways in 2021. Although the Xbox Series X/S has some huge games coming this year, the exclusives may not draw eyes (especially as Microsoft continues to figure out how it handles the Bethesda purchase and exclusivity with those titles). A Halo game will be a massive title in any year, but 2021--the follow-up year after a brand new console launch--is a perfect year for a knockout must-have killer-app like what Halo Infinite could be. So Microsoft will likely spend a whole lot of money promoting it.

Before the delay, Microsoft already dumped money into deals with Butterfinger and Monster Energy for Halo Infinite. Look for more deals like this leading up to the release of the game. But also look for commercials during things like the NBA Finals and the 2021 Olympic Games. It is possible that Microsoft gets creative with a promotional campaign like the aforementioned "Believe" campaign from Halo 3 again.

Weapons and Vehicles

While a full list of the available weapons in the game has not been officially released by the development team, news outlet PCGamesN was able to glean several guns that will seemingly appear in the final product from the gameplay demo back in July, Newsweek reported.

These were: MA3/5, Plasma Pistol, MK50 Sidekick, VK78 Commando, Ravager, Pulse Carbine, Mangler and the CQS48 Bulldog. The "Warthog" vehicle, another staple of the series, played a role in the gameplay video and is seemingly destined to return.

Photo: Gamerant

Developers confirmed a "coating system" will be in place to customize items, such as weapons, in order to change the color schemes and general appearances.

They wrote: "The coating system allows us to define color, wear and tear, patterns, and materials on a region-by-region basis on the Spartan or anything in the game be it armor, weapons, vehicles, or even environment elements like fuel barrels."

The team continued: "To get to our design vision we needed to make an exceedingly difficult decision to move away from a system that was in the game from early days – primary and secondary color. This decision was not made lightly, but it has laid the foundation for greater detail and variation when it comes to color customization."

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