Halo Infinite's Forge Beta and online Campaign Co-op will both drop on Nov. 8, 2022, the launch of Season 3 has been delayed to March 7, 2023, and split-screen Campaign Co-op has been canceled, 343 Industries announced Thursday.
The announcements were made complete with a new roadmap and developer update video explaining the game's changing horizons.
In the dev video, head of Halo Infinite live service Sean Baron emphasized that the studio's No. 1 priority at the moment remains to get more content out as soon as possible.
"We need to get our players more of what they want," Baron said, "and we need to get it to them faster and with more consistency than we have. Two seasons a year doesn't cut it. It's just not going to cut it. That's just not what our players deserve. It's not what they expect. It's not what our team wants to do. It's not what I want to do."
After all of the moving dates that have shifted within the past year-plus, Baron and 343 revealed their updated Halo Infinite roadmap that's centered around two key content updates: the Winter Update and the Season 3: Heroes Within update.
Although Season 2: Lone Wolves now set to last 10 months long, a number yet again way out of touch with the studio's promised three-month timeline, the Winter Update appears primed to finally release the game's Forge Beta, online Campaign Co-op and mission replay features.
Additionally, the mid-season update will bring with it a free 30-tier battle pass, two new multiplayer maps and more.
"We knew that if we tried to release Season 3 on Nov. 8 when Season 2 [would end]," Baron said, "that we would really negatively impact our ability to be consistent the way we want to, at a high level of quality, for all of calendar year '23. We saw that.
"But we also knew that we would be missing something for the community if we didn't release something great at that time. So we looked at what we could do, what we wanted to be able to deliver, and we want to be able to show a little bit of what the service is going to be like going forward and I think we came together with a really great update."
Lastly, 343 revealed that the team, unfortunately, has stopped development for a local split-screen co-op mode in Halo Infinite.
In a statement to IGN, 343 said that in order to "improve and accelerate ongoing live service development, and to better address player feedback and quality of life updates," the studio has reallocated its resources and is no longer working on the mode.
This article was originally published on dbltap as Halo Infinite Forge & Online Campaign Co-Op Release Date Announced, Season 3 Delayed, Split-Screen Co-Op Canceled.
