Game director Chris Lee has revealed that Halo Infinite will be a "spiritual reboot" of the popular franchise, explaining the philosophy behind that development decision during an interview published earlier today. Halo Infinite is perhaps the most important game in the Xbox Series X launch library, a console-defining title that is historically synonymous with each generation of Xbox devices that Microsoft has created.
To say that expectations are high for the game - the last "main" Halo game was Halo 5: Guardians, which launched nearly five years ago, and the next most notable launch afterwards is likely the Master Chief Collection on PC, a collection of the series' most popular entries. The game was always going to be a major part of the Xbox Games Showcase July presentation, but what fans got was even more than expected, with a demonstration comprised of a new trailer on top of a lengthy Halo Infinite gameplay demo that illustrated how Master Chief moves through his environment in the new game. The inclusion of a grappling hook and a mini map system containing various landmarks also showed that Halo Infinite won't just be treading the same ground as its predecessors, too.
However, fans shouldn't panic over the changes coming to Halo Infinite, as game director Chris Lee revealed during an interview with USA TODAY that the title will be a "spiritual reboot" for the franchise. That means it will be paying homage to the beginnings of the Halo experience and what made it special in Halo: Combat Evolved. Lee explained how Halo Infinite as a spiritual reboot was incorporated into 343 Industries' approach to developing the game:
"[343 Industries wanted to] go to the roots of Halo, bring those elements forward, and then modernize them for gamers today. That's really been a key creative inspiration for us."
The fact Halo Infinite is a spiritual reboot does raise more questions than answers, but it at least explains why the game's campaign demo appeared ripped straight out of earlier titles like Combat Evolved and Halo 3. Whether or not this means the story will be used as a jumping off point for a new direction in franchise lore remains to be seen, but as of right now, it seems safe to bet that Halo Infinite will see the return of a few iconic elements from past games, based on Lee's description of where it draws its inspirations from.
Luckily for fans of Master Chief, it won't be long before consumers know exactly what a Halo Infinite spiritual reboot entails. Xbox announced it would be hosting another presentation prior to the launch of Xbox Series X, and that seems as likely a place as any to see a glimpse of Halo Infinite multiplayer and more about the main campaign's direction. The game's release date remains unchanged, too, which means players will be able to go hands-on with Halo Infinite in, at maximum, around six months when it arrives in holiday 2020.
Halo Infinite will be available on Xbox Series X as a launch title for the console. It releases sometime during holiday 2020.
Source: USA TODAY