The long-awaited Halo Infinite has launched early – or at least its multiplayer component has, with the free-to-play competitive element stealth launched today, November 15. Its arrival comes almost a month before the December 8 release of the main campaign for developer 343 Industries‘ sci-fi shooter.
An early launch for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer had been rumoured but was confirmed today as part of the Xbox Anniversary Celebration, a livestream event to mark 20 years since the launch of the original Xbox console.
The sneaky drop is the first season of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer and is dubbed “Heroes of Reach”. The new multiplayer is taking place within the Halo universe in a top-secret facility designed to train the next generation of Spartans.
The reveal trailer gives a few glimpses of the various battle types players can look forward to, including some exciting twists on capture the flag – seemingly able to snatch the flag from afar with a grappling hook – and some vehicular combat.
So far, 343 Industries has confirmed that classic Arena mode will return, which offers “fair starts, on-map equipment, and 4-player squads to offer the ultimate arena-shooter experience”, and BTB, or Big Team battle, which allows players to “create endless combat possibilities by mixing and matching a rich variety of weapons, vehicles and equipment to experience big-team mayhem and fun that embraces the full spectrum of the Halo sandbox.”
The game is available to download now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One or via Steam for PC. It’s approximately a 23.7GB download on PC, with 26.04GB total storage space required, and 25.9GB to install on Xbox Series X.
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Microsoft will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Xbox with a six-part documentary series. Titled Power On: The Story of Xbox, the show will premiere on December 13 on various streaming platforms, including YouTube and IMDb.