The developer of Halo Infinite, 343 Industries, has responded to disappointment over the lack of campaign gameplay shown during Gamescom 2021. Gamescom's Opening Night Live gave players yet another look at the upcoming game's multiplayer, and revealed the new Halo Infinite Limited Edition Xbox Series X, but missing campaign footage has begun to cause concern among fans.
Halo Infinite was originally set to launch alongside the Xbox Series X/S consoles in 2020, but was delayed indefinitely before finally getting a solid release date during Opening Night Live. The title's first gameplay reveal was met with criticism from fans who took issue with the game's visuals, which likely played a part in Xbox's decision to delay the release. The game will be the first in the Halo series to include free-to-play multiplayer, which fans have seen a lot of thanks to numerous trailers and the first playable beta test. Despite the abundance of multiplayer details, 343 has been fairly quiet on the game's campaign and what players can expect from the story. Halo Infinite's release date has now been confirmed as December 8.
343 Industries has addressed the lack of Halo Infinite campaign gameplay at Gamescom in a new Halo Waypoint post. Developer Joseph Staten, head of creative, responded to upset from fans, explaining that the development team is currently in "shutdown mode," meaning feature work is complete and the developers are now focused on bug fixes. Assuring fans that a lack of campaign footage isn't due to development problems, Staten said:
"We’re at a critical phase in the flight that is Halo Infinite, so it’s extremely important to avoid distractions and stay focused on mission-critical tasks only. For Campaign, that means putting maximum effort into ensuring the wide-open, adventure-filled experience you’ll all get to play on December 8th is a great as it can possibly be. And gameplay demos and trailers not only take a huge amount of effort to do well, they also take cycles away from bugs and other shutdown tasks."
Staten went on to share that the campaign is in a completed state. The developer is currently going for a 100 percent run in the campaign, having played it "multiple times."
The developer's words should put to rest any fears players might have over the current state of Halo Infinite's campaign. While many have been concerned that the multiplayer has taken priority over the campaign, that seems to not be the case. Staten's post teases just how much the campaign will offer, noting the many new discoveries he's made during his time with the game. According to the developer, players can expect to see environmental storytelling and polished scripted combat encounters.
It's hoped that fans will get to see new gameplay footage of Halo Infinite's campaign before its launch, though Staten's words hint that this may not happen for some time. Depending on the number of bugs developers tackle, the team's shutdown could go on for a while. Players might not get to see new gameplay until after the game has gone gold, which is likely to be just a few weeks before its release. 343 Industries has been providing regular updates on Halo Infinite, and it's hoped more news on its campaign will be coming soon.
Source: Halo Waypoint