343 Industries shuts down claims Halo Infinite will launch without multiplayer

After receiving a mixed reception at the Xbox Games Showcase, it appeared there could have been more problems brewing for Halo Infinite’s launch. 

According to a YouTube video from tech industry reporter Brad Sams, later shared by industry analyst Nibel on Twitter, Halo Infinite was set to launch this fall without its multiplayer component. 

“One source is saying that multiplayer isn’t going to be shipping with single-player this fall,” Brad says regarding Halo Infinite.

This however has since been shut down by a Microsoft spokesperson to GINX Esports TV, who stated: “Halo Infinite’s campaign and multiplayer will be shipping together at launch, ensuring our players get the full experience.”

343 Industries community director, Brian Jarrard also shut down the claims on Twitter, writing: “Nothing to see here folks, this is not true.”

While untrue in this case, it’s a trend which isn’t unheard of; Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption II and Grand Theft Auto V with delayed multiplayer offerings, while Cyberpunk 2077 is also set to receive multiplayer after its launch in November.

Halo Infinite met a mixed reception (Picture: Microsoft) 

Unlike those titles however, the Halo franchise is defined by its multiplayer. So it certainly would have been a questionable marketing strategy for possibly the biggest multiplayer release of the year. 

Halo Infinite has been faced with some raised eyebrows over its graphics shown in the Xbox Games Showcase, which also debuted a new grappling hook mechanic. 

This is the third mainline Halo entry by 343 Industries, following 2012’s Halo 4 and 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians. 

Halo Infinite is scheduled to launch on Xbox consoles and PC later this year.