Halo Infinite's multiplayer to 'significantly invest' in esports

Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite (Image credit: 343 Industries)

Halo: Infinite is an upcoming first-person shooter from 343 Industries. In its teaser trailer, the developer promised open environments and a renewed focus on the Master Chief.

Halo has always had a significant esports presence, and Halo Infinite won't be any different. Speaking at Variety's Entertainment and Technology Summit earlier this month, Elizabeth Van Wyck, the head of esports for Halo at Microsoft, emphasized how esports is a fundamental element of Halo Infinite's multiplayer.

In developing for the next game, it is a key piece of how we think about how we built out multiplayer, which is the mode that our esports is built off of. Thinking about how people will view it. Thinking about how they will play it. But at the end of the day, we have to build an awesome game... Halo has a long legacy with esports, but we have let it be community run. It wasn't until very recently that we looked at the space and said, 'We want to significantly invest in it and create a structure that not just has longevity, but has consistencies that others can build businesses off of... Those are all things that go into the development process that didn't before.

Hopefully the esports integration will be even more extensive than Halo 5: Guardians. Halo 5 already has a spectator mode and other features which help in commentating. It'll be interesting to see what changes Halo Infinite brings to the table.

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.