Halo Infinite – 343 Industries is "100% Committed" to Holiday 2021 Launch, Release Date Announcement Coming "Very Soon"

Microsoft and 343 Industries announced at E3 in June that Halo Infinite would launch this Holiday, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer said not long afterward that the shooter's development team remains committed to that launch window. Well, we're nearing the end of August now, and a release date is yet to be announced- so should fans be worried? Well, apparently not.

Speaking during the Halo Infinite development update for August, in the midst of a conversation about campaign co-op and Forge not being in the game at launch, head of creative Joseph Staten and community director Brian Jarrard took a minute to acknowledge that though the game's exact launch date hasn't yet been confirmed, it's definitely still planned for Holiday 2021. 343 Industries and Microsoft are currently hashing out some final details, it seems, and a release date, according to Staten and Jarrard, will be announced very soon.

"I do want to acknowledge, it's a little awkward we're talking about things that are in for launch, and frankly, we don't have an official public launch date yet," Jarrard said. "But I did want to just reconfirm, and as we heard Phil Spencer, he made a reference recently- this game is definitely [coming this Holiday], we're committed to releasing this Holiday. And we're pretty close, I think- we're just working through some details right now on kind of what that real date is."

Staten added: "That is absolutely correct. We're 100% committed to releasing this Holiday, both campaign and our first season of free-to-play multiplayer. We just have to work through a couple more details, and we'll be talking about our actual release date very soon."

How soon "very soon" will be remains to be seen, though it's worth noting that Xbox has a Gamescom show scheduled for August 24. It's possible that a release date for Halo Infinite could be announced then. Some rumours have suggested that the launch could come in mid-November.

Either way, it seems like Halo Infinite is definitely launching before this year is out (or almost definitely, if nothing else), so fans can rest easy.

Halo Infinite Won't Have Campaign Co-op or Forge at Launch

Halo Infinite's due out later this year, but it won't be launching with everything you'd want. With 343 Industries working hard to ensure that the game gets out by the end of this year, they've decided to prioritize development in certain areas and push back a couple of features that won't be in the game when it releases.

The news was confirmed by Joseph Staten, head of creative at 343 Industries, who confirmed during the recent Halo Infinite development update that the game won't have campaign co-op or Forge when it launches later this year.

"Unfortunately, as we focus the team for shutdown, and really focus on a quality experience for launch, we made the really tough decision to delay campaign co-op for launch," Staten said. "And we also made the tough call to delay shipping Forge past launch as well."

Staten says 343 Industries made the decision because they don't want to ship anything until they know it's at a minimum level of quality, and they do no feel co-op and Forge are at that level just yet.

"Our number one priority is making sure that whatever we ship, whenever we ship it, it meets the right quality bar. Across all platforms – Xbox devices, PC in all its different configurations. " he said. "And we looked at these two experiences – campaign co-op and Forge – we made the determination they're just not ready. And as a studio, we don't want to ship things if they're not ready."

That said, given Halo Infinite's nature as a live service experience, 343 Industries is going to "keep campaign co-op and Forge in the over a little bit longer" and release them following the game's release as part of its seasonal roadmap. When exactly can we expect that? Staten says the plan right now is to ship campaign co-op in season 2, and Forge in season 3. That means that the goal right now is to release the former three months after the game's launch, and the latter six months after launch- though of course, Staten points out that nothing is set in stone yet.

As for when Halo Infinite will actually launch, there's actually still no word on that yet. Microsoft and 343 Industries have said the game's targeting a Holiday 2021 launch, and it seems they still remain committed to that window. Rumours say that could mean mid-November, but we're still waiting on official word. Microsoft does have an Xbox Gamescom show coming up on August 24, so maybe we'll get more information then.

Destiny 2: Season of the Lost Announced, Mara Sov Returns

Bungie has quite a lot planned for its upcoming Destiny 2 showcase on August 24th. On top of showcasing new details for The Witch Queen, it will also discuss Season of the Lost, the next big season for the game. In a new tweet, it confirmed that Mara Sov, Queen of the Awoken, would be returning.

What's Mara Sov been up to since the whole Dreaming City curse? How has she been contending with the arrival of the Darkness, Savathun wreaking havoc with the world and other generally distress matters? Perhaps we'll find out in Season of the Lost, which could help set up events for the upcoming expansion.

Other features that will be discussed at the showcase include Bungie partnering with BattlEye to soft launch its anti-cheat in the coming season. There will also be details on revamps for PvP mode Trials of Osiris, returning Crucible maps and much more. As for The Witch Queen, it's slated to release in 2022 so perhaps there will be a release date announcement as well.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Confirmed for Gamescom Opening Night Live

It's been a while since we've heard about LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Slated to release this past Spring, it would be delayed to an unspecified date due to Traveller's Tales needing more time. Thankfully, it seems an update is finally coming. Geoff Keighley announced on Twitter that a world premiere new look for the title would be showcased at Gamescom Opening Night Live.

The event takes place on August 25th at 11 AM PT/2 PM ET and will feature over 30 games. Sledgehammer Games' recently announced Call of Duty: Vanguard was confirmed to be receiving its first playthrough at the show. An announcement for the new Saints Row, which appears to be a reboot, has also been confirmed for the same.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is currently slated for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC. It features all nine Star Wars film episodes with about 300 playable characters, a variety of locations to visit and numerous missions to play. Perhaps a new release date will finally be announced at Gamescom. Stay tuned in the meantime.

No More Heroes 3 Gameplay Showcases Boss Battle and Sushi

With No More Heroes 3 coming later this month, it's good to see more gameplay before launch. IGN Japan has a nearly 15 minute gameplay video which sees Travis Touchdown battling foes, ordering sushi dishes and squaring off against Mr. Blackhole. This is another "Galactic Superhero" working under FU who specializes in wormholes. Check it out below.

Set two years after Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, No More Heroes 3 sees Santa Destroy invaded by intergalactic assassins led by the chaotic alien prince FU. In order to save the world, Travis must work his way up the assassin rankings, earning enough money from chores and side jobs to partake in ranking battles to defeat each of FU's henchmen. Said chores include cleaning toilets, mowing lawns and suplexing crocodiles.

Of course, there's plenty of combat to be had as well, especially with the Death Glove adding more abilities and techniques into the mix. No More Heroes 3 is out on August 27th for Nintendo Switch. Head here for more details on what to expect.

Metroid Dread Teaser Sets up Samus' Journey, New Trailer Coming August 27

Nintendo has been releasing regular updates for the upcoming Metroid Dread ahead of its launch in October, and a new trailer sets up Samus' journey in what's being touted as the final chapter of this ongoing story arc, which started with the first Metroid back in the day.

When signs of Parasite X activity, once thought to be long dead, are reported on Planet ZDR and the Galactic Federation loses contact with the seven E.M.M.I. robots it dispatched, Samus embarks on a journey to the planet owing to her immunity to the parasite, where things quickly go wrong. Check out the teaser below.

Meanwhile, in a new Metroid Dread Report blog update, Nintendo has also provided gameplay details relating to Samus' suit, her abilities, and upgrades. Staples like her arm cannon, missiles, and morph ball are, of course, going to return, while you can also expect to see the Grapple Beam, as well as new Aeon Abilities, such as the Phantom Cloak, which temporarily renders her invisible.

Finally, Nintendo has also confirmed that a new trailer of Metroid Dread is going to be released next week, on August 27, which will be "shedding light on new mysteries."

Metroid Dread launches for Nintendo Switch on October 8.

Phil Spencer Talks About Quake's Legacy At Quakecon 2021

During Quakecon 2021, head of Xbox Phil Spencer talked about the legacy left behind by Quake and how much of a cultural impact it had within the industry at large. The original Quake recieved a surprise remastered release yesterday for modern platforms, and is available right now.

Quake was one of the first arena shooters to pioneer the fast-paced action that DOOM flirted with before. The game's deep mechanics left players engaged on online deathmatches for hours on end, and Quake was one of the earliest eSports games in the FPS genre.

"I think it's important for us as players, as people who love the gaming industry, [to acknowledge] what are art form is about, to recognise those franchises that really changed so much that came after them due to the sheer innovation, differentiation, and kind of risk taking the team took. Quake was clearly one of those franchises. You can remember before Quake and after Quake. I think everything that came after Quake both had a bar that the franchise set, and also just an impact on design and multiplayer that we feel in the games we're still playing today. Awesome franchise to recognise and give it its due for what it meant to our industry," Phil Spencer said(as transcribed by PureXbox)

In addition to the console releases, Quake 2 and Quake 3: Arena were also launched on Xbox Game Pass for PC. It's rumored that this is a strategy to revive this classic franchise with the help of MachineGames. Of course, that remains to be seen if the rumors eventually turn out to be true – but fans seem to elated with the surprise nevertheless.

Google Once Considered Buying Epic With The Help Of Tencent Games – Report

Following the Epic Apple lawsuit, a number of documents are still being unearthed pertaining to the gaming giant. A recent document shows that Google wanted to exert more control over Epic so as to prevent the company from potentially taking away profits from the search giant.

As originally reported by Protocol, the report states that Google knew from the outset that Epic wouldn't want to get bought by Google. Thus, a Google executive formulated a strategy to tie up with Tencent Games(who owns 40% stake in Epic) to exert more control on the company and eventually, remove Tim Sweeney as the CEO.

In addition to this, the report also states that Google and Apple also formulated plans to work together to prevent Epic from undermining the commission rates developers have to pay to these giants for putting applications on the platforms. Google reportedly spent millions of dollars to keep some of the top developers in the games space – which includes Activision Blizzard– to not follow in Epic's footsteps.

PlayStation Exclusive WiLD Has Been Cancelled, Insider Claims – Rumor

Renowned industry insider Jeff Grubb recently revealed in a video with Giant Bomb that Michel Ancel's PlayStation exclusive project WiLD has been cancelled. Grubb seems pretty confident on the stance, and there's a number of reasons backing the sentiment.

The last appearance of the game came in the form of a few screenshots shared by creative director Michel Ancel in 2017, following which there's been complete silence on the matter. The game was unveiled during Gamescom 2014, and the scarcity of information surrounding WiLD does suggest that the project has long been abandoned. Michel Ancel also announced his departure from the industry altogether, further supporting the sentiment.

Ancel was also working on Beyond Good and Evil 2 prior to his departure, which is another Ubisoft project that's in development hell at the time of writing. Ubisoft claims that progress is being done on the game, but it seems unlikely that fans will get to hear anything about the game anytime soon.

New Xbox System Update Fixes A Nasty Game Trial Bug

A new update for the Xbox system software has been released which fixes a bug that fans had been facing with respect to free trials. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers get access to select trials of games for a limited period of time, and many complained that the timer kept running even when they quit out of the game.

With the latest system software update, fans can expect to have any and all such issues alleviated. The official Xbox Support Twitter account revealed to fans about the update, which is downloadable right now.

Xbox's strategy with its next-gen offerings in terms of system software remains – "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." That being said, it has proven to be monumental in giving the team more time to work on features that actually matter including but not limited to FPS Boost and Smart Delivery. Keep reading for the patch notes of the latest update.

Patch Notes: 

MISCELLANEOUS

General stability and performance improvements.

KNOWN ISSUES

Audio

Some people are reporting that they aren't hearing audio with Dolby Atmos enabled.

Games

Some players have reported that when returning to a Quick Resume title, their controller isn't responding in the game. Quitting and relaunching the game will resolve this.

Guide

There's an issue in which the audio mixer may not be adjustable.

Some people have reported that trying to launch the guide via controller brings up the power menu instead.

Home

The icon for disc-based titles isn't appearing on the dashboard for some players.

Some people have reported seeing a black/blank screen after installing an update. A simple reboot can often resolve the issue. If that doesn't work, a factory reset is recommended. For instructions, see: How to reset your Xbox console to factory defaults

HDMI-CEC

Some players have reported that HDMI-CEC isn't working correctly. Ensure that your TV supports HDMI-CEC and is also enabled. If the issue persists, please report the problem.

My Games & Apps

Some games might appear with an incorrect "Trial" tag in My games & apps.

Narrator

There are several sections of the dashboard that Narrator doesn't currently read. We're aware of the issue and investigating.