The popular yet polarizing Halo Infinite, 343 Industries’ first-person shooter, is undergoing a major and much needed evolution in its content delivery model. On January 30, it will move from a season-based structure to something called “Operations.” Many players have had a love-hate relationship with the game since launch, and this new update marks the end of the seasons model after over a year.
So, what are these Operations? Well, they’re like seasons, but not really – they’re smaller, for starters, and they’re free, which is something of a refreshing oddity in the current gaming economy. The developers at 343 Industries are promising a new Operation every four to six weeks, which means more content, more often.
This can’t possibly be a bad thing, right? Of course, its just an assumption at this point that they’ll actually deliver on the “more often” bit. At this time, we can’t really say how these Operations will turn out, but let’s not forget Halo’s history of… let’s call them ‘creative decisions.’
According to Halo community director Brian Jarrard, Operations will offer an array of new features, including maps, customization options, and enhancements to the Forge mode. To oversimplify, Operations is basically 343 Industries’ answer to the ‘give me something new, now’ culture that seems to be plaguing the entertainment industry. Still, we’re not complaining.
If you’re wondering why the shift from seasons, it looks like the Washington-based developer is busy cooking something entirely new – and separate from Infinite – up, and content updates for Halo Infinite are just extra work. In Jarrard’s own words, the developers are working on “supporting Halo Infinite” but also have eyes on “brand new projects.”
That said, by now Halo Infinite fans must be reading the signs, which probably spell doom for a title that many consider to be a return to form for the Halo franchise. New season releases have always baited Halo Infinite fans in a way that Microsoft never expected, so why stop now?
The only reason 343 would choose to end seasons and lean on community maps would be if it planned to cease development on Halo Infinite. The January 30 update might be known as CU29 (Content Update 29) within the walls of 343, but to fans, it will likely be remembered as the beginning of the end of Halo Infinite.
It’s a serious disappointment that 343 had us believing Halo Infinite would be the “start of the next ten years for Halo,” only to change up and ice the game when it was just getting good. So much for calling it “Infinite.”
Operations will kick off with the Spirit of Fire Operation, which drops on January 30.
