New leaks have suggested that the multiplayer in Halo Infinite may be free to play.
The Xbox Series X launch title, which was announced at Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox game showcase last week, has found itself in hot water following the debut of its first gameplay. However, the recent leaks suggesting that the game’s multiplayer will be free to play may turn things around.
As reported by EuroGamer, details of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer leaked via a promotional page on Irish retail website Smyths Toys. Although the page was quickly pulled down, it’s reportedly still viewable through Google’s cache.
The description of Halo Infinite reads: “The legendary Halo series returns with the most expansive Master Chief campaign yet and a groundbreaking free-to-play multiplayer experience. Enjoy up to 120 FPS and greatly reduced load times creating seamless gameplay with Xbox Series X.”
Notable Xbox leaker Klobrille has corroborated the news, stating that the game’s multiplayer will be free to play and that the title may feature some sort of battle pass system.
If true, the leaks as well as news that the title is open-world are in-line with Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s previous comments suggesting that Halo Infinite introduces some changes to the sci-fi shooter franchise.
Responding To Halo Infinite Fan Backlash
As mentioned, there’s been a fair amount of fan backlash against the game following its gameplay debut, and both Xbox and Halo Infinite game development team 343 Industries have responded to it.
A new blog post from the studio, however, has addressed additional criticism and answered some questions about the upcoming title.
Speaking about the game’s art style, 343 Industries Community Manager John Junyszek explained that the team had decided to “shift back” to the legacy aesthetics from the original trilogy and focus on a more “classic” art style for the new title.
Then, touching on the game’s graphics, which many social media users have claimed are “outdated”, Junyszek said: “In many ways we are in agreement here – we do have work to do to address some of these areas and raise the level of fidelity and overall presentation for the final game.
“The build used to run the campaign demo was [a] work-in-progress from several weeks ago with a variety of graphical elements and game systems still being finished and polished.”
He continued: “We don’t have firm answers or outcomes to share yet but the team is working as quickly as possible on plans to address some of the feedback around detail, clarity, and overall fidelity. The team is committed and focused on making sure we have a beautiful world for players to explore when we launch.”
Also in the blog post, Junyszek confirmed that the demo section will be playable as part of the campaign, that the campaign will support two-player split-screen as well as online four-player co-op.
Later on, he explains that the team is targeting 4K visuals and 60 frames-per-second for the Series X console but PC players will be given numerous settings to tweak to their preference. Junyszek then confirmed that the game will be coming to Steam for PC and it will have several difficulty levels to select from.
You can read the full blog post here.
Image Credit: Screenshot – Halo Infinite Gameplay Footage, YouTube
