Halo Infinite’s eSports Plans

Halo Infinite is projected to come out this holiday season, and players are ready! This week we learned more about how Infinite eSports will work and got some playtime in a new multiplayer map.

Halo Infinite has long been a staple of both FPS multiplayer and eSports. And today, eSports are more important to the industry than ever before. Players will be able to play on Xbox or PC during the open bracket phase. I’ll be on PC myself. Once the competition narrows down to the championship brackets, players will have to switch to PC. This change is jarring for console players, but 343’s Tashi promises they will be given time to adjust.

“To accommodate for players coming from the open bracket, they will be given an allotment of time and exclusive access to warmup PCs before jumping into their next matches to quickly acclimate.”

-Tashi, Halo eSports Lead

At this final stage of the competition, players can use any input device they prefer. This move is very unique in eSports. It means you can have players using a mouse and keyboard taking on a team of controller users. For non-competitive players, the cross-play may not seem like a big deal. But controllers are generally slower than MNK players. Most games have aim assist to keep the controller players competitive. Will Halo have some players using aim assist while others don’t? We don’t know yet. But this will make waves in the eSports community and may shape the future of competitive first-person shooters.

We also got to see some real Halo Infinity gameplay this week. Players were able to sign up for a multiplayer beta where they took on bots on a new map called Live Fire. The first thing I noticed from the footage was how much better the graphics look compared to the disastrous first gameplay trailer. Halo Infinite finally looks like a next-gen game.

Many of the additions from Halo 5 have been removed like Spartan Charge and other movement abilities. It slows combat a bit but returns the game to its roots. In the end, Halo should be about you outplaying your opponent, not what boosts you picked up.

Players are no longer able to color their armor red or blue, but instead, their shied aura is colored. This gives you the ability to see your team through walls, but you are more visible in the open. 343 is probably trying to show off player’s armor more than just it’s color. Many streamers have complained about this change. I can see the developers changing this before launch. Possibly adding an optional mode.

In the end, Halo Infinite seems to be returning to classic Halo. Basically, the more you play, the better you get. I will try to sharpen my skill and climb the ranks. But I’ll also be happy with camping my friends and having some fun in Discord.

Source: Halo Waypoint, PC Games