The original open world of Halo Infinite was very different, as developer 343 Industries made significant cuts and changes during development.
While Halo Infinite was the first entry in the classic sci-fi FPS series to feature an open environment, its non-linear design has gone through several iterations. The world that appears in the final version is a simplified version of what 343 originally intended.
“The team went through many iterations on the scope and variety of biomes before I joined,” 343 creative director Joseph Staten said, speaking with the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (opens in a new tab). . "Even after joining the team, we had to make decisions about downsizing."
A whole new world
Staten said the team hasn't had time to create a world as diverse as they originally envisioned while also delivering the level of graphical fidelity, detail, and world depth that players have come to expect. While he believes they've made great strides since Halo Infinite's maligned E3 2020 demo, some specific cuts were needed.
"We didn't end up reducing the open world that much, but I know from the original designs that there was a pretty significant reduction in what the team expected them to be able to achieve at any given time.
"We knew we really had to deliver a quality experience to further our ambitions to ensure the products we ship meet expectations.
But these expectations were themselves difficult to manage. Although billed as an open world experience for Xbox Series X, Halo Infinite does not include some of the core features that players may associate with the style. In designing the game, the team was careful not to include any mechanics that were thematically at odds with the series and its characters.
"We're an open world game in the sense that our game is much more open than it was before," Staten says. “Halo has always been a relatively open game in terms of geometry, for a shooter, but we weren't layering a bunch of systems.
"We talked a lot about crafting, for example, and my infamous line to the team was something like 'The Master Chief doesn't need to kill animals to make himself leather shirts.' He's a massive armored super soldier. If he wants something, he'll kill it, He'll take his gun and then move on.'"
The difference this time is that you can do it while climbing up a steep landscape. You can also do it with a friend, now that co-op Halo Infinite is here for Xbox Insiders. All that discount could explain why Halo Infinite is one of the best Xbox Series X games and a reason to get Game Pass.