Developer 343 Industries recently announced that Halo Infinite campaign couch co-op has now been canceled, however, and fans are unlikely to take this development lightly.
Campaign co-op, which lets players work together to fight through a single-player storyline, has been a staple of the Halo franchise since its very first installment. Bungie's 2001 shooter Halo: Combat Evolved let two players enjoy the campaign together through split-screen multiplayer, and by Halo 3 this feature was expanded to accommodate a group of up to four players through couch co-op or online multiplayer. While Halo Infinite launched without the ability to play the campaign cooperatively, 343 Industries has promised to deliver the feature in the future. The game's online campaign co-op recently went through a beta test, just like the Halo Infinite Forge Mode, but couch co-op is being left out to dry.
The promised Halo Infinite couch co-op mode has been canceled by 343 Industries as revealed in the developer's September update. Arriving on November 8, the sci-fi shooter's Winter Update will introduce a number of highly anticipated features for players to enjoy. The update will finally add Forge Mode, which allows players to build their own maps and plan unique matches using an in-depth editor. Online campaign co-op will also come to Halo Infinite on November 8, but the promised split-screen couch co-op feature has been canceled. 343 Industries has apparently "reallocated studio resources" away from couch co-op development to "improve and accelerate ongoing live service development, and to better address player and quality of life updates."
Halo Infinite Shows The Risks of Live-Service Game Development
By canceling Halo Infinite couch co-op, 343 Industries has betrayed the trust of loyal fans. The split-screen feature has been promised since before the game's launch, and players have been waiting months to experience the game's open-ended campaign through couch co-op. The sudden cancellation of this feature demonstrates the risks of live-service game development, and the risks that players take by ing live-service games, since planned content can be abandoned with impunity. Those who have been playing and ing Halo Infinite since launch and looking forward to split-screen multiplayer have now been left with nothing to show for their patience, which will surely erode trust between developer and consumer.
While the game had a strong launch, recent data calls Halo Infinite one of the worst Steam games in of consistent player count. The game even struggles to maintain higher player counts than Battlefield 2042, one of the most reviled games of 2021, which bodes poorly for the title's future. By walking back promises and canceling split-screen campaign co-op, 343 Industries risks destroying the player loyalty that Halo Infinite desperately needs.
Source: 343
