Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested that the upcoming Halo Infinite will make some changes to the sci-fi shooter franchise.
As reported by Comicbook.com, Spencer made the comments in a new interview with Polygon in which he revealed that 343, the studio behind the game, has undergone a “ton of learning” for the upcoming title.
He told Polygon: “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 of one Halo world, one Halo UI, and platform.
“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.”
He continued: “You see that with some of the annualised franchises that are out there – which clearly Halo‘s not annualised – 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.”
Although Spencer’s comments are rather vague, many believe he’s referencing 2014’s Halo: The Master Chief Collection which included Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4.
Others, however, believe that Spencer is hinting that Infinite will be a games-as-a-service product, receiving regular updates and potentially featuring a subscription or microtransactions.
It won’t be long until we receive more details about these big changes since Xbox will be hosting its next-gen game showcase tomorrow (July 23rd). We can expect to hear more about Halo Infinite and all upcoming Xbox games there.
Halo Infinite Box Art
Spencer’s comments come just as Xbox revealed the box art for Halo Infinite ahead of tomorrow’s official gameplay showcase. The art features Master Chief standing in front of a gorgeous background of cliffs, trees, hills, and future technology.
Alongside the official box art, Microsoft and development team 343 released an animated version of the box art in which the Halo Infinite logo appears in the bottom-left corner.
Although the game has been described as a “spiritual reboot”, it will follow the “more human” storyline of Master Chief. Details of the game are scarce, but it’s been in development since 2015 and was officially announced in June 2018.
As already mentioned, we should receive more information on Halo Infinite and all other upcoming Xbox games in the Xbox next-gen showcase tomorrow at 5 PM BST. Check back then for more information on Xbox and all things next-gen.
