Halo Infinite developer 343 Studios has revealed that it plans to release Fiesta and Free-For-All playlists by the end of the year. The much-awaited latest installment in the massively popular franchise, Halo Infinite released its multiplayer mode early to give those on PC and Xbox platforms an opportunity to try out the game before it fully launches, with its campaign mode, on December 8, 2021. But even with the full campaign launch looming in just a few days, there are still some rather significant features that are missing from the Halo Infinite experience.
So far, the early release of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode has largely proven to be successful, with over 200,000 players checking out the game since it became available last month. Not everything is going so well, though, as players on Xbox have asked 343 Studios for a way to turn off Halo Infinite’s crossplay feature, which queues players from PC and consoles together. The complaints supposedly stem from the amount of cheaters coming from PC as well as the long-standing argument that those playing with a mouse and keyboard have an advantage over those with controllers.
Halo Community Manager John Junyszek published a Tweet revealing that 343 Studios is currently working on adding Fiesta, Tactical Slayer (SWAT), and Free-For-All playlists to Halo Infinite. While the playlists won’t be available when the game launches on December 8, 2021, the studio is working on rolling them out before the year ends. Junyszek also mentions that a Social Slayer playlist that will have multiple variations is also in the works, but won’t be ready until sometime next year.
According to Junyszek, 343 Studios is planning to use the game’s Events to test out new game modes before they’re officially added into playlists. An example is Halo Infinite’s recently concluded and first limited-time event called Fracture: Tenrei, which is based on the Fiesta playlist. Junyszek adds that the company will also be monitoring playlist health after Fiesta, Tactical Slayer (SWAT), and Free-For-All become available and make adjustments as necessary. Currently, Halo Infinite only offers Quick Play, Ranked, Big Team Battle, and Bot Arena playlists, which is surprisingly less than what previous entries in the series offered at launch.
While the upcoming playlists won’t be available when Halo Infinite releases next week, it’s great to see that some of the series’ popular game modes will be making a return. It would also be good to give players more variation when it comes to the game’s playlists, as the current lineup feels relatively bland at the moment. Hopefully, the three aforementioned playlists are rolled out closer to the game’s launch rather than the end of the year to give players more time to try them out over the holidays.
Halo Infinite multiplayer is available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. It will fully release on December 8, 2021.
Source: John Junyszek/Twitter