The original Xbox and the first Halo game launched 20 years ago today. As such, it is only fitting that the latest installment of Halo, Halo: Infinite launched today. Originally slated for December 8th, Xbox and 343 Industries announced that the free-to-play multiplayer component of the Halo: Infinite is now available to play on the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
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The sorta-surprise announcement came at the tail end of the Xbox 20th Anniversary Celebration live stream. I say “sorta-surprise” as there were some pretty solid rumours over the weekend that Halo: Infinite multiplayer would be launching today, albeit with the beta designation.
“Why is this release a beta? Our previous Multiplayer Technical Previews went a long way to battle-testing our services and infrastructure. But as we prepare for a significant increase in the number of players jumping into Halo Infinite on launch day, December 8th, we want to ensure all our systems are good-to-go. While you may experience some bumps and bugs during this beta period, it does mark the official start of Halo Infinite Season 1, with all day-one maps and modes enabled as well as the full Season 1 Battle Pass. This means all the Battle Pass and customization items you earn or purchase during the beta will stay with you after December 8th.”
Halo Waypoint
In addition, 343 Industries announced some changes as well. Season 1 has been extended past the original 3-month timeline in order to allow the developer more time to polish up Season 2. That being said, not only has Season 1 been extended until May 2022, but additionally events, customization items, and other content have been added to Season 1. For example, this week, you can log in to unlock a free collection of 20th anniversary-themed cosmetics. The Season 1 opening event, dubbed “Fracture: Tenrai” will kick off next week, on November 23rd.
In case you missed the live stream, you can catch it on YouTube:
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