In June of 2023, Brian Jarrard (ske7ch), the community director at 343 Industries, announced the discontinuation of cutscenes accompanying Halo Infinite’s multiplayer narrative. The given reason was to allocate more resources to “make room for the team to continue focusing on highly requested features, content, and improvements for Halo Infinite.”
In the long run, such a decision was probably the right call. Halo Infinite itself has improved significantly during that time, and many fans have likely accepted the trade-off of content instead of cutscenes for a multiplayer story that had some intrigue but by no means gripped the fanbase. Initially, I was upset because it seemed 343 Industries was once again abandoning their narratives. You don’t have to scroll far in the linked Tweet from Jarrard to see me level that exact claim.
Now, however, it is hard for me to summon even mild annoyance over the loss of the multiplayer seasonal story. Personally, the story didn’t seem to be going anywhere, though I feel that was by design. The multiplayer story took place at the Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science, a training facility on an unknown world hidden from the prying eyes of the Created and Banished. Ergo, it was far removed from the action happening on Zeta Halo.
One benefit was that this allowed the multiplayer story to tackle plots that were occurring in the larger galaxy. So far this only really extended to the introduction of Iratus, a Banished AI created from the brain of a Jiralhanae by a company called Lux Voluspa. Iratus was being used by the Banished on the world of Camber for shipbreaking operations only to be taken by Spartan-IVs Sigrid Eklund and Hieu Dinh. While inserted into Dinh’s neural interface, the AI tried breaking free and was subsequently taken to A.J.A.M.S. Dinh would be freed from Iratus’ grasp only to eventually be loosed onto the Academy.
And that’s effectively where the story ended. A leaked nearly finished cutscene showed Iratus inhabiting a suit of MIRAGE-class Mjolnir, thus cementing at least the aesthetics of Halo Infinite’s Infection gametype with Iratus projecting holographic imagery on “infected” Spartans. Still, that’s where the story left off and it’s unlikely any major conclusion will be developed for this plot thread outside of perhaps a future Waypoint Chronicle or Intel that comes with each season.
Overall, I am left wondering just how much time and attention 343 Indsutries planned to give this side of the narrative. Prior to Season 3, what cutscenes we did get were very brief and amounted to little more than encouraging the player to go and play some multiplayer matches. Season 3: Echoes Within did provide more substantial storytelling focusing on Spartan Dihn and a mission from his past with potential ties to the Academy and ONI, the Halo universe’s favorite secretive intelligence agency. Intel drops would go on to add some additional context to newly released maps, weapons, or equipment.
The difference between Halo Infinite’s approach and something like Halo 4’s Spartan Ops is almost night and day. While Spartan Ops was by no means perfect, it did contain a standalone narrative that continued on from episode to episode with actual story missions. Again, the attempt wasn’t perfect, but it was a decent attempt at continuing the story after the campaign.
Halo Infinite’s season narrative, by contrast, really couldn’t continue the story in any major way. The Academy was too far removed from the action of Zeta Halo and what story there was only served as a means to tell players to try a new game type or event. There was no PvE element to speak of until Firefight dropped recently this month.
All this to say that as Halo Infinite has trudged along and the hope of campaign DLC (one never promised of course but still highly requested) or any real seasonal story began to fade away, I’ve thought on how I might reimagine what could have been for a multiplayer-linked narrative. Would it have worked? Maybe. Maybe not. Ultimately, if I had the chance to give making a multiplayer narrative a go this is what I’d do.
Infinity Down (But Not Out)
“Infinity Base” by Josh Kao
One of the major mysteries left to fans by the end of Halo Infinite is just what exactly happened to the UNSC Infinity, the flagship introduced in Halo 4 that has remained a mainstay in many stories since. We see the ship brutalized by a Banished fleet in the opening seconds of the campaign, but afterward no sign of the ship is made evident. Zeta Halo’s position was moved from where it initially was, so it could be the wreckage of the Infinity remains where it fell. Perhaps its corpse was retrieved by the Banished and it may make a heartbreaking return as a new weapon in their arsenal. It could be on another part of the ring entirely.
Taking that last hypothetical, and bolstered by the concept art “Infinity Base” depicting a shattered Infinity, I would set the multiplayer within the confines of this Infinity Base. As cool as I find the Academy, I feel it’s remoteness makes it harder to tie back into the ongoing struggle on Zeta Halo. We’ve seen UNSC forces rally to the down Mortal Reverie in audiologs found in Halo Infinite’s campaign and in the book Halo: Rubicon Protocol. Whereas that story ends in tragedy as the Banished assaulted the makeshift survivor HQ and place Outpost Tremonius nearby, Infinity Base could prove to be a harder thorn to remove from Banished efforts elsewhere on Zeta Halo.
Here is how introducing Infinity Base would go for new players (and perhaps as a replayable mission):
Alone, or with three others if playing with a fireteam, you’re multiplayer Spartan emerges from a cave in a jungle environment. You’re chosen Personal AI chimes in to say that the UNSC signal you and/or your team have been following is growing stronger, but to be cautious as the Banished may be using such a signal to lure UNSC survivors into a trap.
Your team makes it to a FOB partially obscured by vegetation and as if on que a Banished raiding party comes at you from all sides. Luckily, various equipment and weapons remains to help you repel the initial assault. A brief period of preparation is given to you before three Banished Phantoms arrive and begin descending from the open gap in the canopy above the FOB. Your Personal AI alerts you to a sepcific enemy, a high-value-target boss.
They are a Banished Sangheili Warlord, though they bear the modified helmet of a former Honor Guard. Your AI tells you their name is Thel ‘Lodam, a former Covenant major turned Honor Guard turned Banished Warlord. He is known for his bloodthirsty pursuits against Spartans and he could be engaged with carefully.
High Value Target Profile:
Thel ‘Lodam’s presence on UNSC watchlists began when he was a major in the Covenant military. Known as Thel ‘Lodamee at that time, he was responsible for the killing of Spartan-II Shiela-065 and the subsequent abduction of Dr. Catherine Halsey during the Battle of Miridem in 2544. He would later engage, and even best, Spartan John-117 in a energy sword duel before being removed from the fight by his shipmaster. Rather than being punished for failing to stop the retrieval of Halsey, ‘Lodamee was elevated to an Honor Guard. The collapse of the Covenant would later propel him into the service of the Banished as it offered him opportunities to hunt down treacherous San ‘Shyuum survivors but also continue his crusade against Spartan supersoldiers.
Eventually, ‘Lodam and his forces are defeated by you and your fireteam. The victory appears short-lived as a Banished Dreadnought comes roaring into view with various enemy aircraft roaring past. Your Personal AI remarks that it’s unlikely an entire dreadnought would be sent for you alone and that the enemy you faced must’ve been some advanced party for a larger objective. Suddenly, a thunderous roar is heard right before a lance of light pierces the Dreadnough and the massive ship leaves your view. A massive boom tells you the vessel crashed.
You advance onward from the FOB until finding a small camp site built around a crashed escape pod. It is being searched by Skimmers and Sentinels, requiring a brief engagement to beat. Nearby are a small compliment of ground vehicles, a Warthog, a Razorback, and a Mongoose. You can choose whichever and ride through the jungle, occasionally running over Banished enemies unlucky enough to get in the way.
You’ll reach an impassable barrier down the path, the detached hangerbay of a Mulsanne-class light frigate wedged firmly in where a mountain pass may have once been. A UNSC force had made a final stand here given the bodies and equipment laying around. Before your Personal AI can come up with a solution, Banished forces once again assail you. You hold out as long as you can before a Mammoth erupts from the jungle and launches an assault on the remaining forces.
Once in the clear, the friendly voice of Spartan Jared Miller beckons you onboard. Inside the Mammoth you find numerous wounded being tended to. Miller will brief you on the situation and inform you that this Mammoth has been engaging in search-and-rescue ops on this part of Zeta Halo for months. Your Personal AI will ask where could be safe enough to transport so many people only for Miller to respond with a smile and say, “You’ll see.”
Using the miniature MAC on top of the Mammoth, a large hole is made in the hanger for the ground transport to go through. On the other side, however, a large battle wages on what was once likely jungle but is now a desolate wasteland. In the distance is a expansive waterfall, but little else at first glance. That is until MAC rounds and missiles erupt from its direction towards Banished ships in the sky above. The Mammoth pushes through the carnage until suddenly it is halted as something destroys one of its wheels, leaving the transport rooted in place.
Miller orders you to protect the transport as they await inbound Pelicans to come retrieve the wounded. You fight waves of incoming Banished, occasionally being allowed to take control of the MAC gun to level large forces of enemy armor. Upon a successful defense, a further MAC round from the waterfall convinces the Banished forces to turn back and allows Pelicans to come retrieve you and the others from the Mammoth.
As the Pelican rises, you can see from the rear deployment hatch the outlines of what had been the UNSC Infinity. It’s been broken in sections, but ultimately some sort of base has been created from it’s remains. As the hatch closes, the hologram of Captain Thomas Lasky, now bearded and whose uniform is a little worse for wear, winks to life and thanks you for assisting the Mammoth. Before signing off, he welcomes you to Infinity Base.
O Captain! My Captain!
With the Halo Infinite multiplayer narrative affixed to Infinity Base now, that Spartan Commander Laurette Agryna will not likely be our liaison through the developing narrative. Do note that I don’t have anything really against Agryna, I felt they were serviceable but kind of didn’t have much of a big role given how Infinite’s seasonal story worked. She’d show up, offer some encouragement, and tell ya to hit the multiplayer. Perhaps she could assume that same role in Infinity Base, but I’m a bit more biased towards having the duo of Captain Lasky and the AI Roland to assume that role.
Firstly, I feel like where the heck most of the cast that had developed since Halo 4 has gone in the wake of the Banished attack on the Infinity has been a mystery that wore out it’s welcome. Is Lasky alive? Roland? Halsey? Palmer? Two years on and not a peep. Halo Infinite’s original seasonal model likely wouldn’t have addressed this either, so why not just be upfront?
It can be revealed that Lasky and a still-loyal Roland had managed to pilot the Infinity down to Zeta Halo. While no longer spaceworthy and broken apart, enough remained along with its generators still functioning to make it a serviceable base. Through sheer tenacity Lasky and the survivors he managed to attract helped make Infinity Base a defendable place for the UNSC to not only regroup in, but actively launch counter-offensives. It would mark a contrast to the UNSC efforts on the portion of the ring Chief’s activities are occurring at.
Infinity Base therefore would be an excellent hub for the occasional story-based mission. However, since it is still connected to multiplayer, the actual gameplay could continue to be framed with the War Games structure of Halo 4 and Halo 5. Lasky could explain that the simulators aboard the Infinity are still operational and new information is added as UNSC forces strike at Banished outposts and bases.
Therefore, as new operations (game types) become available, Lasky and Roland will still be there to help explain the context for the wider war effort. One thing to be clear on is that this whole thing does not need to be 100% canonical when it comes to game modes like Husky Raid or as far as the Fractures concept is concerned. Game modes and maps can exist completely independently from the narrative being developed by the multiplayer. The only time the narrative may mention things happening in the multiplayer would be in similar ways to how things like Infection were implemented. An example may look something like this:
A cutscene opens with Lasky and Roland discussing a disturbing trend that has been noticed among some of the personnel at Infinity Base. People have been wandering off the base to parts unknown. This does not have the feeling of soldiers going AWOL, after all there is nowhere safer on Zeta Halo than Infinity Base. Your Spartan was sent to intercept a recent runaway and you manage to catch up and bring them back.
An evaluation with a doctor, Lasky, Roland, and your Spartan in tow reveal that the runaway felt compelled to go in a certain direction. They knew not where they were going, only that the pull felt irresistible. They still feel it. Hoping to get to the bottom of this, Lasky instructs your Spartan to take the runaway and have them lead you to where they were being pulled to. A Pelican ride later and you trace the source of the call to an ovoid machine outside of a Forerunner facility.
Halo 2 Anniversary concept for the map Lockdown. In this scenario, rather than be suspended on an ice cliff a similar structure leads deep underground.
Initial concern is focused on the remnants of a Banished camp surrounding the facility, but not trace of the enemy exists. Lasky sees the events unfold through your Spartans video feed, a trace of unease creeping across his face. He asks Roland if any records on Zeta Halo can identify the device that led them he team there or the kind of Forerunner facility they are heading into. Roland navigates various menus and says to give him a minute.
The team moves through the entrance, bathed in an eerie sickly green glow. They don’t have to go far before seeing a humanoid figure in the distance. Yet something is off. They appear human, but human arms should not bend that way. Nor should they gurgle as they do. The figure turns around and moans a distressing word, “Pain.”
They lunge, but are cut down by Spartan gunfire. No sooner do the gunshots stop do further moans and screeches emanate from deep within the complex. Roland barks for the team to leave immediately and find a way to seal the entrance. Just as they exit, Banished dropships arrive with fresh troops no doubt sent to investigate the lack of updates from their fellow outlaws.
SEASON (X): INFECTION
This cutscene would set the stage for the re-introduction of the Infection game type to Halo Infinite’s multiplayer. As cool as I find the concept of Iratus and his takeover of Mjolnir armor, I think the Flood should be the catalyst for Infection. I know people want to see them in a full-fledged game, but Zeta Halo has a rich history involving them that would terrible to not utilize.
Obviously, your Spartan is going to survive the Banished-Flood assault and the Flood threat will be contained, at least temporarily. With the possibility of Flood infestations now on the table, Lasky will introduce the HAZMAT armor core as advise both Spartan and non-augmented soldiers to familiarize themselves with the tech. A sim to test Spartan readiness against Flood outbreaks will also be available, ie Infection.
My only request would be that at the end of an Infection match there should be an announcement by Lasky to initiate CORRUPTER protocols and a simulated nuke goes off should all Spartans fall to infection.
Chief Concerns
As shown above, I am not above having the narrative follow a season model. Halo Infinite seemed to be on the right track with the plot about Iratus, but that ultimately terminated with future plans being unclear. What I want to do is have stories that tie back into the action going on around and across Zeta Halo. The above is an example of something that would likely happen a few seasons in.
Instead, I feel one of the earliest things to do is connect the story of the Master Chief, Weapon, and Esparza to Infinity Base. It only feels natural to me that Chief and company would find some way to reunite with Infinity Base. Yet what about YOUR Spartan? Are we leaving them high and dry? No.
I think the best approach would be a model where Chief and your Spartan engage in their own missions. Now, missions split between Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris was a major complaint back in Halo 5. I understand that. However, what might work is giving your Spartan smaller-scale assignments while leaving true campaign-length missions to Chief. Here’s a proposal:
The first season of Halo Infinite would be titled Reunion. Many characters fans have forged connections with through the years remain lost after the titanic defeat of the UNSC above Zeta Halo. As the Master Chief, the Weapon, and pilot Fernando Esparza fought to claim their fragment of the ring, they soon learn the Infinity lives!
However, they discover Banished plans to search for and kill several important people within the UNSC thought to still be alive on the ring. Included in the information are the last known locations of those still at large or the locations of those taken into Banished custody. Luckily, a friendly Pelican arrives on the scene with your Spartan in tow. A hologram of Lasky, relieved to see Chief alive, greets him and invites him back to Infinity Base.
From there a three mission system would occur that periodically updates throughout the season.
Mission 1 would be fielded by your Spartan infiltrating smaller Banished outposts to relieve squads of Marines, ODSTs, and other assorted troops. It would be more akin to a Spartan Ops experience. Mission 3 would be Chief-focused and more like a traditional campaign level where a high-value ally is in need of rescue. An example might work like this:
Snow and ice comprise the biome of the portion of Zeta Halo that the Master Chief is tasked to locate Spartan Jameson Locke. While he had believed the Spartan dead after an encounter with the Brute Hyperius, it turned out the Brute had been more braggart than vanquisher. Banished intel placed Locke within a compound similar to that of the House of Reckoning.
Forgoing entering at the bottom, Esparza takes his Pelican to the very top of the compound and drops the Chief off. From there he descends the massive structure, working his way through trials in-progress and freeing the beleaguered UNSC troops within from the onslaught. He even finds some Swords of Sanghelios making their ancestors proud by defying the Banished.
Upon reaching the bottom level, there is still no sign of Locke. However, the Weapon notes throughout the hallways that Banished had been chattering about a prisoner who somehow escaped their trial before you had arrived. Chief exits the facility and finds himself in a massive courtyard with an imposing gate locked down tight. In the center a Chieftain awaits him. You fight him until he dies. Or so it seems.
The ending cutscene takes Chief’s perspective as he sizes up the door only to be ambushed by the chieftain who, seemingly with one final spurt of energy, tackles Chief and starts to grip his helmet. Warning lights blare until a blade pierces through the eye of the chieftain and the alien topples to the side. A bruised and battered Jameson Locke, stripped of his armor and wearing a tech suit, greets you. He tells you not to worry about the door as an explosion blasts its doors off the hinges. Locke remarks on how the Banished pre-disposition at keeping explosives littered around their compounds was a stupid one.
Pelicans begin to arrive and land outside the gate as the Chief and Locke the one piloted by Esparza. Soon other prisoners join them and the last view of the prison shows their occupants streaming out to awaiting Pelicans.
Locke is just the first of many to be brought back into the fold.
conclusion
In the end, I’m just a guy who plays Halo that often wishes 343 Industries did more than they currently do with the story. I understand there are limitations with their current team lacking campaign developers and the fact campaign DLC wasn’t really on the table nor is it currently. Still, I feel they gave up too soon on their multiplayer narrative and that it could have been far better than what it was while it was going on.
Either way, thanks for dealing with my rambles and I hope you were at least entertained.