The Halo franchise has been building its identity for 20 years now. While campaign co-op and the map-building Forge mode haven't necessarily been foundational elements of the series, they've become key, iconic features since. As such, it came as a surprise when fans learned that neither will appear in Halo Infinite when the game launches later this year - but they will be added in a post-launch update eventually.
Halo Infinite, the sixth mainline installment of the series, has a lot to prove - it's a flagship title for the Xbox Series X|S and has to be a triumphant return to the glory days of Halo after many fans have noted its decline with the past two titles. Its development hasn't been an easy journey, and the game suffered a one-year delay preventing it from launching alongside the new Microsoft console.
As 343 Industries scrambled to overhaul and improve the game under pandemic lockdown conditions following a poorly received reveal, concessions have been made to ensure that a top-quality experience can be delivered without additional delay. This meant leaving some features out of the release, so that time and resources could be dedicated to perfecting the core game.
343 Industries has confirmed in a development update that campaign co-op and Forge won't be part of Halo Infinite when it launches - this is the cost of keeping it on schedule for this November. That's something the developers confirmed, by the way. Fans need not fear any further delays, as things currently stand.