Halo Infinite May Split Its Story Up Into "Campaign Passes"
If "campaign passes" are what they sound like they are, Halo Infinite could possibly be tying its campaign to the free-to-play Multiplayer's battle passes, or even continuing it long after release Destiny-style. While developer 343 Industries has yet to confirm how Halo Infinite's campaign will be structured, players are now ardently speculating about what this latest hint could mean for the upcoming game's story.
The campaign of Halo Infinite is still largely shrouded in secrecy. Of course, it picks up after the events of Halo 5: Guardians and features semi-open worlds, but beyond that, it's a bit of a mystery. The latest look at Halo Infinite's campaign during E3 provided more questions than answers with the reveal of a new Cortana-like AI (also voiced by Cortana actress Jen Taylor), but it's not clear how she'll fit into the overall story or if she's meant to replace Cortana long-term. Regardless, there appears to be a large story at the center of Halo Infinite, and it may not fully conclude when the game ships in 2021.
YouTuber HiddenXperia (as pointed out by ResetEra user Theorry) noted that there's reference to Halo Infinite's campaign in the free-to-play Multiplayer portion of the game, as seen in a screenshot released in a new Halo Waypoint blog post. The highlighted challenges are likely meant to reward players for playing and completing the campaign, but it would only make sense for 343 to keep adding onto the campaign to avoid repetition, as the story and multiplayer are no longer tied together in one package. Some have speculated the campaign could continue with players' custom multiplayer Spartans based on comments made in relation to Halo Infinite's newly unveiled battle pass system, but nothing has been confirmed by 343 or Microsoft at press time.
Whether or not that turns out to be the case remains to be seen, but fans are latching on to the fact the same screenshot reads "completing Chief's story," implying a sense of finality to the Master Chief's ongoing saga. Of course, that line could mean something else entirely, but some are convinced that Halo Infinite will be Master Chief's final outing. Whether he dies or finishes the fight once for all is anyone's guess, as when or if the main character will ever be killed off has been the subject of player speculation since Halo 2's cliffhanger ending..
Either way, it seems that Halo Infinite will have a sprawling campaign with lots of meat on its bones. The more open-ended approach to the game world will likely keep players around for much longer than the typical Halo campaign, so long as it's good. With the introduction of so-called campaign passes, it's likely those same players will be rewarded for their commitment to Halo Infinite's campaign as well.
Source: Halo Waypoint, HiddenXperia (via Theorry/ResetEra)