Halo Infinite is set to launch in late 2021 and while details about the game are still scarce, we do know one classic gameplay feature won’t be included in the upcoming release.
According to Tom French, senior mission designer on the game, assassinations will not be part of Halo Infinite at launch and could actually skip the game entirely. This is because players reportedly turn off the feature anyway, making it a useless inclusion in the highly-anticipated sequel.
“We actually really love assassinations,” French told Eurogamer of the change. “But what happens at a lot of levels is people just turn them off because there’s a gameplay disadvantage to it.”
Namely, using assassinations will cause players to enter an animation cycle where they can’t move or defend themselves. During this window, other players are still able to attack and kill them, leading to major losses for players who perform the moves.
“People can shoot you, melee you, and if that happens not only do you die, you lose the kill,” explained Reddit user Doctordarkspawn in a recent thread. “There’s just no reason to use them in their current state.”
Most players appear to agree with this sentiment, so the exclusion isn’t likely to cause waves — but the mechanic could still be re-implemented in a new form down the road. According to Eurogamer, developers are currently taking a “step back” to work out the particulars, and may consider adding the feature back in when it feels more ‘meaningful’.
For players who do enjoy implementing assassinations, there won’t be an option to turn the feature back on (for now) but rest assured there’ll be plenty of ways to make those kills feel earned when Halo Infinite launches later in the year.
If you’re keen to try out all the new features in Halo Infinite early, the good news is there’ll be more beta ‘test flights’ for the game in the coming months. To kick off your space-faring trials you’ll need to be part of the Halo Insider Program — and you can find out more about the hows and whys of joining here.
While we don’t have an exact release date for the game just yet, it’s still scheduled to launch in late 2021. Stay tuned to Kotaku Australia for more news and updates on the game.
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