There has been plenty of buzz surrounding Halo Infinite as its ambiguous release date draws ever closer. Ever since the game was delayed last year, fans have been speculating about what the additional development time allowed 343 Industries to accomplish. After a technical preview that allowed select players to try out the game's team-based multiplayer mode, it's clear that the studio has something good going. With the announcement that Microsoft will be hosting a showcase during Gamescom in the wake of its E3 2021 conference, many expect to hear more details about the long-awaited sci-fi shooter.
With the August 24 showcase date coming soon, there's plenty of speculation regarding what Microsoft is going to reveal about Halo Infinite. Although the game wasn't tucked away for the company's E3 2021 press conference, it also wasn't front and center like many hoped. This means Microsoft's Gamescom showcase might be when Halo gets the screen time it deserves. After all, it should be releasing in the next several months, so it's likely the game will get a proper billing this time.
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The most obvious thing that fans can expect from Halo at the Gamescom showcase is a finalized release date. Many thought that release information would be coming during E3 2021, however, there are only four months left in the year and there hasn't been so much as a whisper about when the title will officially launch. Recently, head of Xbox Phil Spencer said 343 Industries is committed to launching the game this holiday season, so with this being the last confirmed Xbox event for quite some time, it makes sense for the date to be revealed.
It wouldn't make much sense to simply announce Halo Infinite's release date and move on with the conference, so there's likely going to be more gameplay shown off too. The nature of the gameplay is what's in the air. As the technical preview of Infinite's multiplayer recently wrapped up, plenty of fans have seen a lot of the game's multiplayer, so it might be best for Microsoft to show off more of Halo Infinite's campaign. Unfortunately, there have been some heavy spoiler leaks for the game's story circling the Internet, so this might be 343's chance to show fans that, although the plot might be less surprising due to the leaks, it'll still be exciting to experience.
There still could be footage shown of the game's multiplayer, but it's likely to showcase new features that weren't included in the limited content from the technical preview. Halo's E3 multiplayer spotlight paid a lot of attention to the vehicles included in the game that weren't in the technical preview, so it's likely there's plenty more that fans haven't seen. Hopefully, there will be another announcement regarding the next round of pre-release multiplayer flights.
It was recently announced that 343 Industries hopes to do a larger-scale multiplayer flight before Halo Infinite launches. If the game gets top billing during the Gamescom Xbox showcase, it seems likely that 343 will announce another flight of pre-release multiplayer matches to build more hype for the game. This would essentially serve as an appetizer to whet fans' appetites while counting down the days to Halo Infinite's release. It could do a lot in terms of goodwill toward the game, and hopefully serve as a "thank you" to fans who have been patiently waiting for Halo Infinite since its delay.
Halo Infinite is in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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