What you need to know
- Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries needs "more time" to deliver co-op campaign and won't make the Season 2 release date, the studio has announced.
- Halo Infinite online co-op campaign now looks set to launch during Season 2, currently set to run from May 3, through early August. The studio has also faced "big challenges" with split-screen support, suggesting the feature might arrive later down the line.
Halo Infinite's co-op campaign update won't ship alongside its Season 2 Lone Wolves update as once planned, developer 343 Industries has announced. The move marks another setback for the feature, following Microsoft's decision to delay its inclusion at launch. The update now looks set to drop sometime later in the season, with development demanding "more time" to deliver a high-quality experience from day one.
While Halo Infinite launched on Dec. 8, 2021, the game lacked staple features like co-op campaign and Forge modes, both slated for future updates. While the Forge map-building tool appears set for a debut later this year during Season 3, the co-op campaign was already delayed into May, following an extension of Season 1.
Outlining Season 2 plans, the studio has now stated it plans to debut online co-op campaign sometime later in the three-month window. The team has also faced "big challenges" with split-screen development, implying local co-op might arrive later.
"[W]e will not be able to ship Campaign network co-op on May 3rd, at the start of Season 2," stated Halo Infinite creative head Joseph Staten via Halo Waypoint. "But we are still aiming to deliver Campaign network co-op later in Season 2, and we will share a release date for that and for split-screen co-op as soon as we can."
"But the reality is that it's going to take more time to land a high-quality, full-featured 4-player network co-op experience in the massive, wide-open world of Halo Infinite," Staten said. "We're also committed to a great 2-player split-screen co-op experience on all Xbox consoles, from the original Xbox One through Xbox Series X—and the non-linear, wide-open sections of the Campaign present some big challenges for split-screen that have taken us more time to solve."
343 Industries still plans to release Forge in Season 3, with the studio already flighting an early version of the mode among community creators. It also plans to host public flights later this year ahead of its full release for all Halo Infinite players.
Halo Infinite Season 2 drops on May 3, and with a three-month runtime, the co-op campaign should arrive by the end of July 2022. Season 2 also brings two new maps, three new modes, and other customization content, accompanied by intertwined story content through its free-to-play multiplayer suite.
Halo Infinite's campaign promises fans the most expansive single-player Halo experience to date, featuring a dynamic open world brimming with stories to uncover and hours of shooter action. Coupled with a robust multiplayer suite, it's a modern masterpiece that's familiar, yet fresh, in all the right ways.
