After mixed receptions to the 2020 campaign trailer forHalo Infinite, 343 Industries released new campaign footage this week that’s quite different from what fans have seen so far.Halo Infinitelooks more similar to games likeFar Cry,Just Cause, orAssassin’s Creed, which makes the newest entry in the series unique in its approach and gameplay. This stems from the fact that the new trailer showcased a lot of intense action-packed scenes in which players are seemingly encouraged to interact with the environment to make things explode, all while tackling objective-based missions and side quests.
This approach is a big departure from what players have known aboutHalogames up until now, but it makes sense considering 343 Industries' statements regarding howHalo Infinitewill be the future of the franchise. The game will come with Battle Passes and seasons, meaning there will be a lot of new content to come in the months after its release in December, likely followed by DLC and expansions. As such,Halo Infinite’s campaignmodel could resembleDestiny 2for a number of reasons, which could be a good or bad thing.
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How Halo Infinite Could Adopt the Destiny 2 Model
WhenDestiny 2first came out in 2017 it suffered from a content drought relatively quickly, as the most the game had to offer beyond its main campaign were Heroic Missions and Public Events. This is not taking into account the Leviathan Raid, which was not immediately available and offered repeatable content in the form of farming for Raid gear. Even then, when the Raid was released and its loot dropped, there was not much left to do inDestiny 2.
Because of this, Bungie introduced DLCs to provide players something to look forward to, such as Curse of Osiris weapons and Escalation Protocol with Warmind. Things improved a lot when the first yearly expansion forDestiny 2came, asForsakenwas a huge success that also included plenty of new content and a unique enemy race - the Scorn. With this in mind, it’s not impossible that343 Industries' plan forHalo Infiniteis similar to what Bungie did with the first year ofDestiny 2, meaning the newestHalochapter could not be a fully fleshed-out game on release, but will get there with time.
The way this could work forHalo Infiniteis to have a first season of the game on release with the associated Battle Pass, and maybe drop the first DLC around six months after launch. Seeing how the campaign seems to revolve around objectives and replayable areas, it’s not unlikely that DLC adds more of these objectives or a new location on the map with different gear, missions, and collectibles. This approach would ensure thatHalo Infinitegets plenty of content further down the line, while also launching the game in a state that feels good - despite players being upset at thelack of campaign co-op.
Most ofHalo Infinite’s future contentis probably coming with yearly expansions, which could add new story elements, characters, gear, and more. This could crib what Bungie has been doing withDestiny 2’sForsaken,Shadowkeep,Beyond Light, andThe Witch Queenexpansions. This would also be a first forHaloconsidering no game in the franchise was ever conceived to have new content lasting for years - even ifHalo Wars 2did get an expansion in the form of Awakening the Nightmare. Ultimately,Halofans could expect something big as time passes, which means futureHalogames are unlikely to come out for a while.
Halo Infinitereleases December 8 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
