Just last week we received a brand new Xbox event that catered towards video game titles set to release on the next-generation console platform, the Xbox Series X. There were all kinds of interesting games teased and updated, although, for a lot of fans out there, one title, in particular, was immensely anticipated. The video game we’re referring to is Halo Infinite, a title that was showcased during E3 2019 but only as a cinematic trailer. Nothing more than a trailer was showcased and more details were set to be unveiled during E3 2020 including gameplay.
Now you all know that E3 2020 was cancelled due to the health pandemic outbreak that is the coronavirus. As a result, most of the press conferences were shifting towards an online streaming event with Microsoft taking several streaming events. During the July Xbox Series X event we finally got a showcase for Halo Infinite’s gameplay and the fan reception was not all that pleasing. Fans were quick to point out the big graphical issues and lack of detail which became a worry on if this game would actually see a proper release for a next-generation Halo title.
It took a little while but 343 Industries finally issued a clear statement on the matter. Featured on Halo Waypoint, 343 Industries commented on the graphics and visuals. According to the statement, the team knew that there would be some feedback but to make things clear, the visual choice the studio went with and are committed in keeping is the aesthetics that Bungie laid out. 343 Industries is stating with the legacy look of the original trilogy look which means having more colorful visuals and cleaner models.
“Based on our learnings from Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo Wars 2 – along with strong community feedback – we decided to shift back towards the legacy aesthetics that defined the original trilogy. With Halo Infinite, we’re returning to a more ‘classic’ art style which was a key message going back to the very first reveal that garnered enthusiastic and positive responses. This translates to a more vibrant palette, “cleaner” models and objects with less “noise”, though it doesn’t mean less detail. While we appreciate this may not be everyone’s personal preference, we stand by this decision and are happy to see it resonating with so many fans around the world.”
However, there were some areas that they know needs to be cleaned up a bit. A lot of it deals with visual fidelity such as objects appearing flat, lighting issues, along with object pop-in. It’s these areas that the studio is hoping to work on before the game hits the marketplace.
“The second theme being discussed involves visual fidelity. Negative feedback in this area includes comments around characters and objects appearing flat, simplistic and plastic-like, lighting feeling dull and flat, and object pop-in. We’ve read your comments, we’ve seen the homemade examples of retouched content, and yes we’ve heard the Digital Foundry assessments. In many ways we are in agreement here – we do have work to do to address some of these areas and raise the level of fidelity and overall presentation for the final game. The build used to run the campaign demo was work-in-progress from several weeks ago with a variety of graphical elements and game systems still being finished and polished.”
It looks like the fans were able to give enough feedback to really offer some new opportunities for developers to go back and work on. We’re of course eager to see the progress the studio is able to make before the title launches sometime later this year.
