It’s no secret that Microsoft and 343 Industries have struggled to keep players interested in Halo Infinite’s free-to-play live-service multiplayer experience. The game didn’t release at first with a lot of content for players to enjoy, and so far post-launch updates have only brought minimal additions. As a result, many gamers have put down Infinite to play other titles. The game only has a few thousand concurrent players on PC at any given time based on Steam Charts data, and while it’s doing better on Xbox according to the official list of most played Xbox games (opens in new tab)it’s nowhere near where Microsoft probably wants its flagship first-party live service experience.
However, there is one upcoming feature in Halo Infinite that has the potential to be the saving grace: Forge Mode, Halo’s beloved map editor and creation tool that players have been using to create custom gameplay experiences since Halo 3 in 2007. Everything we’ve seen of Halo Infinite’s Forge looks incredible so far, and as long as the mode is released in a polished state I believe it will help change the game.
All right, I’ll forge it myself.
Halo Infinite Forge just keeps getting better pic.twitter.com/REEGLpryWiAugust 2, 2022
To understand Forge’s potential in Halo Infinite, all you need to do is check out the myriad Forge leaks that have spilled out online following Halo Infinite’s co-op beta launch in July. With the work-in-progress version of the mode that was discovered, talented players used hundreds of different terrain pieces, objects, decorations and visual effects to build large, intricately detailed maps. For example, an experienced mapmaker Infinite Forges recreated the infernal Upside Down dimension of Stranger Things, as well as a one-on-one remake of the iconic Night of the Untoten Call of Duty: Zombies stage. Others have used the mode’s advanced scripting language to create features and level triggers that summon devastating air strikes, deploy weapons and equipment for players to use, and automatically prop up vehicles when they tip over. Other options include the ability to adjust weather effects, scale objects up or down, change an item’s color and texture, give one weapon the functionality of another, and more.
To quote Microsoft’s mission statement: Forge will “enable everyone to do more”.
What we’ve seen from Halo Infinite’s Forge is reminiscent of the rise of the creative economy, in which multimillion-dollar companies have formed around the process of creating new maps, modes, and other types of content for games like Minecraft and Roblox. It also reminds me of some of the best Skyrim mods and the best Fallout 4 mods to come out over the years – mods that give players several new ways to interact with and experience the game they’re used to, and that was only possible thanks to Bethesda’s decision to release the Creation Kit tool.
To quote Microsoft’s mission statement, Forge will “enable everyone to do more”, and for a content-hungry player base, that’s bound to be a big deal. There will of course still be a desire for 343 Industries to develop more curated multiplayer experiences, but while fans wait for them to come out, thanks to the Forge community, they have plenty of creative and exciting fan-created maps and modes to enjoy. . While none of it will be official, it will nevertheless provide players with alternatives to the game’s meager vanilla offerings. These will hold many gamers until the developers can get the ball rolling with bigger and more frequent content updates.
Findability is important, and 343 delivers results
As incredible as Halo Infinite’s Forge mode is, it means nothing if players don’t have an intuitive way to find and access content created with it. This is what a file browser – a tool that allows players to search and save Forge creations – is perfect for. We haven’t heard anything official about a Halo Infinite File Browser yet, but based on what prominent Halo data miner Surasia recently found in the co-op beta build, it looks like a pretty robust one is coming to the game alongside Forge. In addition to the ability to perform simple searches for developer-recommended creations, the most popular maps and modes, and convenient custom prefab structures, the “Browse All” option also allows fans to create a community-wide file share and narrow searches with filters and tags.
The file browser is not only a powerful tool for finding and marking cards, but also has a number of useful features for the counterfeiters who make them. This includes the ability to keep multiple iterations of your project saved and accessible so you can roll back to an earlier version if necessary, as well as copy protection that prevents other players from saving and publishing your map as if it were their own. You can even list other players as collaborators when you upload so that everyone who contributed to the creation of your map is publicly credited.
Based on everything we’ve seen so far, it’s clear that 343 Industries is committed to making Forge content as accessible as possible, while also protecting and supporting its creators in a variety of ways. These are exactly the kinds of systems that the Forge community needs to maximize the tool’s potential, and it’s great to see the developers doing their best here.
Will Forge Halo Save Infinite?
With Halo Infinite’s Forge becoming a dream come true, the question arises: will its release really be enough to get players interested in the game again? Ultimately, I think the answer to that is a definite “yes,” although Forge alone won’t be enough to keep people around in the long run.
There’s a limit to how much heavy community creations can do for a live service experience like Halo Infinite. Crazy and unique game modes and player-created maps are great, but ultimately these are side dishes meant to complement the main course – a set of strong core content. Fans want official versions of classic Halo modes, professionally crafted maps to play them on, and a rewarding progression system to grind. Currently Halo does not deliver Infinite.
Forge will give Microsoft and 343 Industries some breathing room to develop a better live service model.
That said, Forge creations offer players exciting new ways to enjoy the game, which should help them avoid getting burned out by Halo Infinite’s matchmade content. This gives Microsoft and 343 Industries some breathing room to develop a better live service model and create the high-quality experiences fans have come to expect from Xbox’s flagship franchise. Therefore, I have no doubt that as long as Forge is released in a stable state with the accompanying file browser, its arrival will mark the beginning of a Halo Infinite revival.
Halo Infinite multiplayer is free to play and available now on Xbox and PC. Despite its problems, it is one of the best Xbox games to play if you like arena style FPS combat. Don’t forget the campaign either, as the phenomenal gameplay and well-told story make it one of the best in the series.
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