November 18 Will Be the End of an Era for Halo

Halo Infinite's final major content update has officially been announced and scheduled for November 18, as the developers behind one of Microsoft's biggest game franchises prepare to shift focus to other Halo games. The Operation: Infinite update to Halo Infinite doesn't mean that the game is going away by any means, but it does mean the end of an era after nearly four years of building up the FPS title.

Originally released in December 2021, Halo Infinite is regarded by many fans as one of the best Halo games. Holding an 80/100 player rating and a 94 percent critic recommendation rate on OpenCritic, it has also taken home several awards, including the Player's Voice award at The Game Awards 2021. Though not reaching the same height of popularity as the original Halo trilogy in the days of the Xbox and Xbox 360, it still won over a lot of players with its strong multiplayer scene, despite mixed reactions to its campaign.

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By Jake Fillery

Halo Infinite Operation Infinite Contents

2X Progression Updates
Operation Pass Overview
Exchange Updates
Playlist Updates
Ranked Updates

But fans eager for more content in Halo Infinite are in for disappointing news, as a new announcement on the official Halo Waypoint website now states that there will be no more major content updates after the one set to arrive on November 18, which is officially titled Operation: Infinite.

The announcement takes a heartfelt yet somber tone, thanking players for the time they've spent with the game over the last nearly four years and stating that the reason behind the end of new content is that the development team members' work will be needed on future Halo franchise projects. "Without your feedback and enthusiasm, Halo Infinite multiplayer would not be the special place it is today: a robust arena for slaying and playing, with something for every Spartan," it states, going on to add that Halo Infinite will still get enough support to keep running.

While the game is leaving its post-launch development behind, Operation: Infinite still includes content and rewards to pique fans' interest as the game goes into maintenance mode. These include a 100-tier Free Operation Pass containing the Serpin, Seeker, and Adamant armor sets, Silent Snow armor coating, Icicle Falls visor, Blackened Steel weapon coating, and Respect stance. There will also be a 100-tier Premium Pass with 30 unique customization items that include Artificer, Seawarden, Kobold, Phoenix, and First Vanguard armor sets.

With the final content update's launch, players can also look forward to doubled progression boosts to Career Rank and Spartan Points on all matchmaking playlists, making it much easier to rank up fast in Halo Infinite and have more spending power in The Exchange, which will initially be stocked with more than 200 new cosmetic items. The 2X Spartan Points rewards will also extend to any Daily Challenges players complete.

Operation: Infinite will also see the release of two maps, with the holiday-themed Yuletide map added to Husky Raid and Super Husky Raid modes in the Quick Play playlist, and the new, asymmetrical Vacancy map creating the feel of a cozy hotel in a dusty desert city. Moving forward, there will continue to be ranked seasons in Halo Infinite, which will be changed every few months. Additionally, a ranked rotational playlist will remain in place to keep daily and weekly challenges feeling fresh.

Halo Infinite Dev Team Shifts Focus to Other Halo Projects

As the announcement stated, Halo Infinite team members will be redirecting their efforts towards other Halo projects. One of these will almost definitely be the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved that was confirmed in late October. Titled Halo: Campaign Evolved, that game is widely expected to release in late 2026. While it will feature new missions not included in the original and will support up to four-player co-op, it will not include a competitive multiplayer mode.

With Halo Infinite's competitive multiplayer being one of the driving forces behind the last four years of continued development, an additional multiplayer Halo project is also heavily rumored to be in the works. Microsoft has not revealed anything official about such a project, but multiple respected leakers have claimed it is in development, with some stating it will be named Halo 7.

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