A new video from Halo: Reach developer 343 Industries confirms a story detail revealed in a journal included in the limited edition version.
In new marketing material for Halo Infinite, an 11-year-old story detail from the Halo: Reach Limited Edition’s journal has been confirmed. In Halo 5: Guardians, Master Chief attempts to reclaim control of Zeta Halo and discover the truth behind Cortana’s rampancy, but little else has been revealed about the sequel’s plot.
Last year, Halo Infinite was delayed in the public eye after fans widely panned a gameplay reveal. The game’s visuals were scrutinized, and Microsoft and 343 Industries decided postponing the launch was the best course of action to ensure that the game’s quality met fan expectations. The delay appears to have worked, as newly released footage of Halo Infinite’s Craig the Brute shows a graphical transformation.
A video from the in-game organization UNSC’s archives was recently tweeted from the official Halo Twitter account. It tells the story of a soldier who was involved in the theft of Covenant technology. This technology would later be used to help develop Master Chief’s energy shield in the franchise. However, according to Alex Haruspis, a fellow Twitter user, this is a much older story than it appears. According to Haruspis, the level of Lance Corporal Chris Preston was included in Doctor Halsey’s journal in the Limited Edition of Halo: Reach. According to the text, Preston was responsible for stealing a unique shield from a Jackal, which helped drive energy shield technology for humanity.
If you’ve got Halsey’s Journal from the limited edition of Halo: Reach, turn to the entry on January 10, 2536.
The story of what Lance Corporal Chris Preston and his fellow Marine acquired can be traced back 11 years ago… https://t.co/74eA8Afq5g pic.twitter.com/eLhzmvlDco
— Alex | Haruspis (@haruspis) November 2, 2021
Despite the lengthy delay, not all of the initially planned to be included features will be available on the day of the release. Halo Infinite will not have ray tracing at launch, according to 343 Industries, but the quality will be added later. The developer has already stated that campaign co-op and Forge will be absent from the release when it first hits store shelves later this year.
343 Industries and Microsoft are taking care to include references and callbacks to previous materials, no matter how minor or insignificant, which is a positive sign that Halo Infinite is being taken seriously. When creating new marketing materials or story details, ignoring such elements would have been much more accessible. Fans will be reassured to know that such dedicated and well-read developers are working on the upcoming game and the Halo franchise as a whole.
On December 8, 2021, Halo Infinite will be released for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: Halo/Twitter, Alex Haruspis/Twitter
