Halo Infinite, and the series as a whole, is in a rough spot right now. Between ongoing, unsubstantiated rumors that series developer 343 Industries is stepping away, a lack of truly meaningful updates, and anticipation for where Master Chief goes next, it’s getting harder to be excited about the shooter. I adore Infinite’s gameplay but, like many, have struggled over the last few years to find meaningful reasons to stick around. To that end, 343 is once again letting us all know that it will continue supporting Infinite, but I’m not sure for how much longer.
343’s promise of more Halo Infinite comes from senior community manager John Junyszek. With the rumor that 343 is handing off the Halo reigns to other studios once again making the rounds, this statement serves as a way to reassure the multiplayer game‘s community. The problem is that 343 has been on the backfoot making these statements for years, and we still have no idea what’s actually coming next for the series.
“Thank you for all the support, this year’s been pretty crazy,” Junyszek says on a panel during the HCS Atlanta Major (at the 6:51:30 mark). “I know we started [the year] with an announcement of ‘hey, we’re working on future projects,’ but I also want people to know we are continuing to support Halo Infinite, as you see with this update. We’re trying to do as much as we can, where we can, while we still have teams working on various projects here in the studio.”
Junyszek is referring to Halo Infinite’s impending Operation: Fleetcom, coming to the game on Tuesday July 30. The update brings back Halo 3’s VIP mode, Halo Reach’s Headhunter, and introduces over 1,000 iconic Jeff Steitzer voice lines to Forge. If you’ve ever played a multiplayer match in any Halo, you’ve heard Steitzer’s iconic voice. I still say “Killamanjaro!” and “Double kill!” while walking around the house; when playing Halo you can’t escape it. Operation: Fleetcom is even making a plethora of changes to existing weapons and vehicles, but it isn’t adding any new ones.
The “future projects” Junyszek refers to come from when community manager Brian ‘Ske7ch’ Jarrard told players that 343 has “additional teams now that are accelerating towards the future working on brand new projects,” although we don’t know what that means just yet. It’s a statement without any real substance, and it’s fueled whispers ever since.
Since rumors began to circulate in early 2023 that the Halo series was being helmed by other studios, 343 Industries has had to make multiple statements assuring fans. The first came in January of last year when 343 said it was “here to stay,” with Junyszek shutting down a similar rumor mere weeks ago as well. 343’s need to make these statements isn’t doing the studio any favors, as it just leads to questions about what the team is working on. We need to see what’s next, and soon.
While Halo Infinite hasn’t had the breadth of updates and content any of us were expecting since the launch in 2021, I still maintain that it’s the best sandbox and shooting the series has ever had. Infinite is a double-edged sword, with not enough reasons to keep playing, but some of the best moment-to-moment gameplay when you do boot it up.
There are plenty more FPS games and space games to play in the meantime though, with Halo’s future still uncertain.
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