KEY POINTS

  • "Halo Infinite's" multiplayer will be free-to-play for everyone on PC and Xbox
  • The game will reportedly include a battle pass system to compensate for the change
  • "Halo Infinite" will feature advanced armor customization and classic game modes

The “Halo Infinite” presentation at E3 2021 showed a considerable amount of the game for fans around the world with better polish and more coherence this time around. The game will be the next chapter of John-117’s story but more than that, it’s also going to bring back the classic “Halo” multiplayer that an entire generation grew up playing.

343 Industries is aiming to retain that classic “Halo” feel in “Infinite’s” multiplayer but with a few modernized elements to make the game fresh. Chaotic gameplay with iconic guns, vehicles and the game’s signature style of arena maps will all be coming back, but the biggest change that’s coming to “Halo Infinite” is the fact that multiplayer will be free-to-play.

The prospect of getting “Halo Infinite” for free bears heavy implications on how the overall experience outside of combat is going to be. There’s no doubt that the absence of a paywall is going to attract countless players from all platforms, but, like every other big F2P game out there, there’s always a catch.

Free-to-play games have generally relied on cosmetics as their primary mode of monetization, and it’s likely that “Halo Infinite” will do the same. Prominent Xbox leaker Klobrille said that the game will have a battle pass system and new customization mechanics that are unique to “Halo Infinite,” The Verge has learned.

If this is true, then it’s possible that “Halo’s” tried-and-true Spartan customization system is getting a massive overhaul to accommodate “Infinite’s” new F2P business model. Should 343 follow through with their promise to stay faithful to the classic “Halo” multiplayer experience, then players should still be able to gain cosmetic armor parts to some degree without paying for the battle pass or any other in-game transaction.

Halo Infinite will feature a deeper level of armor customization
Halo Infinite will feature a deeper level of armor customization 343 Industries

Additionally, going F2P might attract a surge of hackers and cheaters on the PC version of “Halo Infinite,” as is the case with “Call Of Duty Warzone’s” issue with cheats. A powerful anti-cheat system will be necessary for “Halo Infinite’s” success, especially since crossplay is enabled between Windows PCs and Xbox consoles.

“Halo Infinite” is scheduled to release by the end of 2021.

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