One of Halo's traditions is for new games to feature remakes of multiplayer maps from past games, but 343 is changing things up a little bit with Halo Infinite. Lead multiplayer designer Andrew Witts told IGN that the studio is more interested in creating all-new playspaces. That said, players will notice that some of Halo Infinite's maps are inspired by classic maps, and overall, 343 isn't ruling out the possibility of remakes. But the overall goal is to make Halo Infinite's maps feel distinct and new.
Witts pointed out that the Big Team Battle map Fragmentation is a good example of what 343 is trying to achieve. The map is seemingly inspired by Halo 3's Valhalla, which itself takes cues from Halo: Combat Evolved's Blood Gulch.
"I think that what we've done with [the Big Team Battle map] Fragmentation is something we want; we want things to feel new, but we want things to be a bit reminiscent without giving you the exact same layout or the same layout with slight differences, because we're a different game with different needs," Witts said.
"There are some maps that have been coming out in almost every single iteration of Halo. So I wouldn't say we would never do a remake," Witts added. "But again, we're doing a spiritual reboot, so we look at how we kind of put our own twist on it, but still make it feel like a little bit of a nostalgia trip when you kind of run through them."
Lead multiplayer designer Cayle George said the team experimented with one-to-one ports of previous Halo maps, but "they don't work well."
The developers also revealed the names of two additional Big Team Battle maps, Deadlock and High Power. Multiplayer creative director Tom French said Deadlock has "classic Halo" vibes but also has a "very different mood" than the rest of Halo Infinite's BTB maps. The High Power map was originally a "test gym" for Halo Infinite's BTB, and the developers and testers enjoyed it so much that it is seeing a full release. 343 has yet to show these two maps in action, however.
In other news, 343 just showed off Halo Infinite's brand-new 4v4 Streets map, an asymmetrical map set in New Mombasa.
Following a year-long delay, Halo Infinite is now scheduled for release on December 8 across PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The multiplayer element is free, while the campaign is included with Xbox Game Pass or costs $60 on its own.
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