The Halo franchise is famous for its split-screen co-op feature, but it seems Halo Infinite’s developer 343 Industries has decided to cut the mode from the game.
In a new development update video, Halo Infinite head of live service Sean Baron and creative director Joseph Staten explain why the mode has been dropped from the game’s roadmap.
What Is It?
Historically, there has been some controversy surrounding the inclusion of split screens in Halo. Despite 343 Industries’ efforts to make it happen, it hasn’t been a smooth ride. One of the most notable hiccups was the inability to support multiple controllers on any one console, a feat that has proven challenging to master. In the end, it is still possible to play the best of a handful of multiplayer matches using multiple players, but you will need to be prepared to put in the effort.
Luckily for gamers, there are plenty of alternatives to fill the gap and ensure that you’re rewarded for your effort. Hopefully, you can relive the glory days of Halo with friends and foes in your pocket for years to come.
How Does It works?
The Halo franchise has become a huge part of the video game industry, bringing people together over the thrills and spills of first-person shooter battles. However, it has also had some issues. For example, Halo 5: Guardians dropped its split-screen co-op feature, which many players found to be a disappointment.
This led to a lot of people asking 343 Industries for a way to fix the problem. At the annual DICE gaming summit, Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, made a promise to the crowd that future Halo games would bring the split screen back.
It’s no secret that the company isn’t exactly in good shape right now, with its live service model struggling to keep up and a delay in Season 3. In an effort to address these problems and save resources, 343 decided to cut down on some legacy features.
One of those was split-screen couch co-op, a popular option that allowed friends to play the campaign together on the same Xbox. The model has been a hit since Halo 2, and it’s one of the reasons many people bought Halo Infinite in the hope that it would eventually have the feature added to it.
Unfortunately, the Halo Infinite team decided to go with an online-only split-screen co-op mode. This decision was made to allow the developers to focus on addressing player feedback and ensuring that Halo Infinite continues to be a stable and enjoyable experience for players.
Why Is It Important?
One of the most popular features that Halo has ever offered is a split-screen co-op, a mode that allows players to play together in the same room. It’s been a staple of the franchise since its inception and is often cited as a key reason why it is still one of the most popular games on the Xbox platform today.
However, the lack of this mode in Halo Infinite has left a lot of players very disappointed. In fact, it was such a big deal for the community that 343 Industries promised that future Halo titles would bring the feature back.
Sadly, that promise was broken a few days ago when the studio announced that they would be canceling the split-screen co-op feature for Halo Infinite. This is a huge loss for the community, as it was one of the most beloved parts of the game.
The studio says that they will be focusing on other elements of the game instead. This is because they are having trouble retaining player counts and they are struggling to release new content.
They have also been releasing patches slowly to try and address some of these issues. It seems like they are trying to fix some of the problems before they release more substantial updates, but this is not necessarily the best way to go about it.
In addition to that, the studio has been focusing on developing other elements of the game’s live service model. This includes Forge, the level-building mode that enables anyone to create their own custom maps. This mode will be coming out in November, along with the network campaign co-op.
How Do I Get It?
As many Halo fans know, split-screen co-op is one of the most popular ways to play the series. It’s especially fun when playing with a group of friends and was arguably the most important feature Halo 5: Guardians lacked compared to its predecessors, although 343 Industries has since said they wanted to add it in future games.
When the new title launched, fans were excited to see more of what they’d grown to love about the franchise, but they haven’t been too pleased with some of the game’s delays and lack of content. In addition to the main game being delayed a year, a promised Forge mode and campaign co-op were also cut, leaving fans with a lot to be frustrated about.
Now, it’s been uncovered that some players have managed to get around the issue of no split-screen co-op in Halo Infinite by taking advantage of a menu glitch. The trick involves connecting up to four players in local co-op and each gaining a working split-screen that functions just as well as it would if it were included in the game from the start.
The good news is that this exploit is easy to do and works with minimal latency or issues – so you should be able to play it as you please, without experiencing any crashes or other glitches. Unfortunately, this is not an official workaround, and 343 Industries will likely patch this exploit away at some point in the future.
To do it yourself, you will need an Xbox Series X or S console and an online friend. Once you have a friend, head over to the campaign menu and load a save. Once you’ve done that, click the arrow next to “Local” and select the option that says “Enable Split-Screen Co-Op.”