In the past month, 343i and Xbox gave us nearly nine-minutes of brand new Halo Infinite gameplay, then seemingly stripped us of all hope when they announced that the game would not meet its Holiday 2020 launch plan. Series veteran, Joseph Staten has returned to a leadership position within the company, and the delay will only give them more time to perfect and refine. Studio head Chris Lee had released a statement via Twitter hoping to alleviate any concerns the delay may inevitably spawn:
“The extra time will let us finish the critical work necessary to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever at the quality we know our fans expect.”
New gameplay features like the open world, multiple objective structure and the grappling hook excited some fans enough to overlook the not-so-next-gen graphical engine. Considering the hype built up behind the new Slipspace engine, we were expecting a little more ‘umph’ in the graphical department. Craig memes and 2021 delays aside, 343i recently revealed new concept art for Halo Infinite – an Elite Blademaster and the MJOLNIR Mark VII Generation 3 armor.
The Blademaster, named ‘Jega ‘Rdomnai’, serves as a part of the Banished’ Hand of Atriox.
343i writes:
“In hushed whispers throughout the ranks of the Banished, Jega ‘Rdomnai’s name is spoken of with care. The blademaster’s history is shrouded in rumor and half-truths. Some say he was an experiment, an affront to his own kind. Others make mention of a clandestine ambush gone wrong. Very few know the truth, fewer still speak of it. One thing is certain: he has hunted demons before, and as the first recruit welcomed into the Hand of Atriox, he will do so again.”
Alongside Jega is the new MJOLNIR Mark VII armor, an improved version from Dr. Halsey.
“Created with input from Dr. Halsey herself, the latest Mark VII iteration refreshes the Mjolnir technical architecture with breakthroughs in neural interfaces, shield emitters, fusion power, and armor formulation.
The Mark VII designation refers to a number of prototype platforms that test the ever-evolving Mjolnir Generation 3 standard. The most recent design to bear the name was selected by Dr. Halsey from Materials Group’s KEYSTONE development program.”
The official Halo twitter announced the other day their partnership with Monster Energy to bring Double XP to Halo Infinite. They’ll provide a first look at in-game emblems and weapon coatings. According to some reddit users, weapon charms will also be unlockable for use in multiplayer through promotional Hasbro Nerf toys. Hopefully Jega will stand as a more formidable foe than Locke proved to not be in the previous entry.
Halo Infinite launches on Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC in 2021.
