UPDATE 11/17, 7:51 PM ET: This article has been updated to reflect changes to the Halo Infinite Battle Pass progression model, confirmed by 343 Community Manager John Junyszek.
Halo Infinite's battle pass progression system is being reevaluated by the developers. The game's multiplayer mode was released on Xbox and PC ahead of schedule earlier this week and quickly became a smash hit. Fans were eager to jump into the action, and Halo Infinite's multiplayer broke records within a matter of hours. The game climbed the Steam charts and peaked at 256,619 concurrent players. This number has fallen off a bit since then, which is to be expected as the hype stabilizes, but Infinite has remained among the top 10 currently played games on the platform.
Halo Infinite is the long-awaited latest installment in the series and follows the story of the game's iconic character Master Chief after the events of Halo 5 and Halo Wars 2. At first, the game was slated to come out alongside the new generation of Xbox consoles, however, it was later pushed back. However, it was announced during the Xbox 20th Anniversary livestream that the mode would be playable starting November 15. Fans quickly downloaded the game, eager to get back into the familiar arena shooter they had played years ago. One thing that they quickly realized, though, was that the Halo battle pass progression seemed infinite. What seems to have annoyed players most is the fact that experience can only be gained by completing challenges rather than for finishing matches.
Taking notice of the negative feedback, Halo community developer Brian Jarrard took to Twitter to reassure players that the issue was being looked into. He shared that the development team is currently gathering data from game sessions which they will use to reevaluate how the Battle Pass progression system will work in the future. He also stated that more updates on the topic would be coming out as the story progresses and finished by inviting community members to share any issues or feedback they might have on the game. Subsequently, 343 Community Manager John Junyszek confirmed that the company would adjust Halo Infinite's Battle Pass progression to make the game less of a grind.
While the early release of Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode was a welcome surprise, Halo Infinite's multiplayer still has some issues to work out. At the time of launch, many players were unable to run the game properly on both Xbox and PC. Instead of being greeted by the iconic Halo theme song, many experienced a blue screen error. And although this particular issue has now been fixed, others might be lurking around the corner. This is perhaps best exemplified by the fact that the game is still referred to as the Multiplayer Beta in many places.
This slow experience gain is likely a result of the unique approach that the Halo dev team has taken when it comes to the progression system. Earlier this year, it was announced that once purchased, a Halo Battle Pass would not expire when its corresponding season ends. Instead, players will be able to select the one they wish to progress through. This will give them much more freedom and flexibility when trying to earn a specific reward. Despite the early issues, Halo Infinite's multiplayer remains massively popular, and the campaign will only add to this effect.
The multiplayer mode for Halo Infinite is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The full version of the game will launch on December 8, 2021.