Halo Infinite will have splitscreen and co-op
"We want this to be a love letter to Halo."
Halo Infinite will see the return of series staple mode co-op as well as splitscreen, as 343 Interactive sets about what creative director Paul Crocker calls "a love letter to Halo".
In an online preview session taking place in the immediate aftermath of Halo Infinite's gameplay reveal, 343 was understandably evasive on most details but did confirm that both modes will return in what it's calling a "spiritual reboot" for the series. The session was also used to reveal that the head of the Banished - a group of Covenant bolstered by Brutes who look to serve as the main antagonists of Infinite, part of an overarching return to the feel of 2001's Combat Evolved - is called Escharum, and that his name is officially spelled 'E-S-C-H-A-R-U-M'.
343 also confirmed how it wants to get back to the roots of the series, with Infinite looking to evoke the same sense of wonder players felt when first stepping foot on Installation 004 back in 2001. The mission shown in today's showcase - culled from halfway through Halo Infinite's campaign - revealed as much, as well as introducing an all-new grappling hook that allows Master Chief to explore the semi open-world.
I'd love to tell you more, but details were frustratingly thin in a short preview session. As Halo Infinite was revealed, it emerged that Halo Infinite is intended as a platform for the next 10 years of the franchise, though exactly how that will work remains unclear. "Halo Infinite is a continuation of the Master Chief's story and saga that we told in Halo 4 and Halo 5," said studio head Chris Lee. "Infinite kicks off telling new stories and continuing his saga for years to come. Those will be coming online in the future. We don't have specific plans we can share today, but we have a lot of great ways we're going to bring those online."