COMMENTARY - Charting a new course for Halo Infinite
The ring of power.
By Jonathan Garrett
18/09/22
This week’s departure of previous 343 studio head Bonnie Ross, shortly after the confirmation that split screen campaign co-op had ceased development, will be for many the latest in a string of unfortunate and questionable choices made throughout Halo Infinite’s journey before and after release. This is a tumultuous time for Microsoft’s premiere franchise, and one could be forgiven for thinking that with plunging player numbers and a disengaged fanbase, Halo is stuck in limbo.
However, instead of dwelling entirely on the negatives, we want to suggest some alternate approaches that 343 could take to potentially get back on course. As a huge fan of Halo, it would be a shame to see it fizzle out, especially as the things Infinite got right (feel of gameplay, more open campaign design) were a great foundation.
EMBRACE THE LEGACY
Up until this point, the release of new content and updates has been quite sporadic. Delays are an inevitable part of development, and no-one should be pushed into crunch to deliver shiny new things. However, there simply isn’t enough content being added on a regular basis to sustain the live service element of a free to play title. Given that the Master Chief Collection is still going strong, it surely wouldn’t take much effort to regularly port across a selection of previous maps to plug the gaps in their seasonal scheduling. Infinite’s multiplayer gameplay is so polished that the idea of going back to classics like Lockout, Blood Gulch, and Valhalla is very enticing.
EXPERIMENT WITH EVENTS
One aspect of the Bungie era of Halo that seems to have been lost in recent years is an undercurrent of quirkiness. With Forge on the horizon, and the guaranteed flurry of weird and wonderful creations, it would make sense for Infinite’s seasonal events to offer more oddball (pardon the pun) takes on existing game modes as a way to loosen things up. It makes sense from an advertising perspective, and might attract the attention of players feeling a bit jaded.
FLIP FLOP ON SPLIT SCREEN
Digital Foundry wrote a fantastic deep dive into the split screen mode, and all indications are that it was in a pretty good state. If 343 are serious about regaining the trust of the fanbase and earning some good will in the process, they should reverse the decision and get split screen back on the agenda.