Halo Infinite devs share details on Forge beta, ahead of its release tomorrow

More information has been shared on the Forge beta in Halo Infinite, ahead of its release tomorrow.

The long-awaited mode will be added to the game on November 8 as part of a wider Winter Update for Halo Infinite, which will also include new maps, modes, balancing tweaks, matchmaking updates and a new Battle Pass.

It’s the addition of Forge mode, however, that many Halo fans will be looking forward to, and a new blog posted by 343 Industries sheds more light on how it will be handled.

Most notably, the blog states that while Forge arrives in a ‘beta’ state, it’s a permanent free update to the game and will not be removed, and neither will any content created during the beta period.

The Forge mode was originally introduced in Halo 3 and was initially designed to let players change the layout of objects in existing maps.

Over time, the mode has evolved to become a fully-fledged map editor, and 343 promises the Halo Infinite version will be the most feature-heavy yet, with players able to scale objects, create AI bots and script them, and use new lighting and audio tools.

According to the blog post, up to eight players will be able to play Forge together, though it also notes that a last-minute bug means players have to all start at the same time. 343 is currently working on a fix which will allow players to drop in mid-session.

343 will also be adding community maps into matchmaking, but note that this “will take a bit of time”, since it first requires the community to create high quality content which then needs to be tested by 343, who will work with its author to make sure it meets their requirements.

It also notes that it’s looking into the possibility of adding campaign AI to Forge mode, stating: “We see a lot of potential in allowing players to create experiences that lean into the cooperative/PVE space.”

This doesn’t appear to be coming any time soon, however. “We’re not announcing anything today and this is long lead work,” 343 states, “but it’s definitely an opportunity we’re interested in and excited to pursue.”

Further reading

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Halo’s developer is reportedly switching to Unreal Engine

Halo Infinite has suffered numerous delays and cuts, which are potentially partly due to its tech

Prolific Texas-based support studio Certain Affinity announced in September that it’s leading development on “something big and new for the franchise”.

“We’re doing something unannounced, and we’re doing lead development on that unannounced thing, from conception and design,” said CEO Max Hoberman. “It’s something big and new for the franchise. But I can’t say any more about it.

“That’s our single largest project of our three projects currently. We have close to 100 developers working on that.”