Halo Infinite Developer Update Details Audio Design

Of the many titles releasing later this year, Halo Infinite is by and large one of the most highly anticipated triple-a games. With the promise of a return to the franchise's roots, and all of the subsequent updates that have released in the last few months, Halo Infinite has begun to look quite promising. The most recent developer update talks extensively about audio design.

Some assumed that the next Halo Infinite reveal would focus on the game's audio, and those assumptions turned out to be correct. A small group of audio designers and composers for the game, consisting of Sotaro Tojima, Chase Thompson, Kyle Fraser, and Joel Yarger, sat down and discussed what fans can expect from Halo Infinite in terms of audio.

Working with a cacophony of feedback following the release of Halo 5, the audio design team going into Halo Infinite made it a point to recapture the "legacy essence of Halo" while simultaneously "strengthening the excitement and impact of Halo’s combat." This should hopefully resonate during actual gameplay. Though, one thing that a number of fans have been looking forward to is the music.

While 343 Industries has periodically dropped music tracks for Halo Infinite, the full tracklist likely won't arrive until the release of the game. When asked about the campaign music, Tojima commented on how the music looks to capture more uplifting themes and emotions like hope, while showcasing the beauty and majesty of the new environment the Master Chief will occupy, known as Zeta Halo.

In addition to music and sound design, one of the more integral aspects of Halo Infinite is its scale. This game is set to be much larger than previous entries, with Halo Infinite even featuring dynamic weather and day/night cycles that will impact gameplay. The team also discussed how traveling to different areas of the map would change the atmosphere and ambiance in terms of noises the player will hear during gameplay.

In any case, it's clear that 343 Industries is working hard to make sure its vision of Halo Infinite is fully realized. It's nice to see all of these consistent updates regarding the game's development unveiled on a regular basis as well. Considering the lack of information leading up to Halo Infinite's first gameplay trailer, fans will surely appreciate how much information is being publicly revealed. Then again, perhaps the studio was just waiting until it had something more substantial to reveal to its audience.

For a game first revealed at E3 2018, fans know surprisingly little about Halo Infinite. The next foray into the sci-fi franchise seems to be something of a soft reboot, overhauling many of the mechanics that fans are familiar with, judging by early Halo Infinite gameplay demos. If there's one element fans know almost nothing about, though, it's how Halo Infinite's customization elements will work.

However, with the changes that have been made to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, fans may be getting a picture of how Halo Infinite will reward players with new customization options. Of course, Halo: MCC's customization has garnered a mixed reception, so it may not earn a great reception if 343 Industries does decide to go that route. Of course, as with all things, there are some pros and cons here.