Halo Infinite Season 1 has been extended to May 2022

343 Industries has extended Halo Infinite Season 1, which was originally expected to conclude early next year, until May 2, 2022.

Earlier today, Microsoft made Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer mode available to play on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles via a beta.

Players have access to all maps and content, plus the full Season One Battle Pass to unlock, with progression carrying over to the game’s official release on December 8.

Coinciding with the early multiplayer launch, Halo Infinite head of creative Joseph Staten revealed that the Season 1 Battle Pass has been extended from 343’s original goal of shipping a new season every three months.

“We made the decision to extend Season 1 to give ourselves more time to ensure Season 2 meets our high quality bar and so we can finish development for Season 2 in a healthy and sustainable way for our team,” he said.

“Importantly, with the Season 1 extension, we aren’t just stretching-out our original Season 1 plan. Indeed, we took this opportunity to add additional events, customization items and other content to Season 1 to make it an even richer experience from start to finish.

“For example, starting today and through the first week, you can log-in to Halo Infinite to unlock a free collection of 20th anniversary themed cosmetics.

“Following this free reward period, the start of our Season 1 opening event, ‘Fracture: Tenrai’, will kick off on November 23. This will be your first of multiple opportunities to earn Season 1’s samurai-themed armor pieces and other customization items.”

Halo Infinite Season 1, which is titled ‘Heroes of Reach’, features free and premium tracks offering over 100 unlockable items including armour pieces, weapon charms, visors, coatings, emblems and armour FX.

Microsoft previously confirmed that Halo Infinite’s battle passes won’t expire, meaning that in future seasons, players can purchase old battle passes as well as the current one and choose which pass to put their progression towards.

According to Valve, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer beta has already attracted over 150,000 players on Steam, a significant number which has likely contributed to launch day issues.

Some players have been encountering Halo Infinite blue screen download problems when attempting to access the game, although according to 343 Industries community director Brian Jarrard, these issues should now be “mostly resolved”.

In August, 343 Industries said it had delayed the release of Halo Infinite campaign co-op until Season 2 and the launch of Forge until Season 3.

Given that Infinite Season 1 has now been extended from 343’s original goal of shipping a new season every three months, we’ve asked Microsoft if the launch windows for campaign co-op and Forge have also been pushed back.