Halo Infinite split-screen co-op mode quietly scrapped

A major Halo Infinite update has quietly snuck in the announcement that a split-screen co-op mode will not be happening. At all. While players can get excited about the latest Halo Infinite fall/winter roadmap, a video accompanying the announcement from 343 Industries buries some not-so-great information within it.

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At the 11:46 mark in the video, 343 head of creative Joseph Staten looks to the camera and says, "We had to make the difficult decision not to ship campaign split-screen coop, and take the sources that we would use on that and go after this list and all these other things."

The list Staten is referring to includes cracking down on cheaters, increasing stability and polish, sorting out multiplayer performance issues, and more. The 30-minute long video adopts 343 Industries' more recent push for transparency when it comes to updates and realistic roadmaps, something that players seem to be welcoming with open arms. However, it's disconcerting to have something we've long been promised quietly canceled in the middle of a lengthy update video.

And when you consider the conflicting information 343 Industries has given players since long before launch, it's even more frustrating. Back in July 2020, the studio promised Halo Infinite would have split-screen co-op at launch. And while a Halo Infinite network campaign co-op beta was available for players earlier in the summer, it was never made clear until just now that split-screen co-op was off the table.

The rest of the Halo Infinite roadmap confirms that a Forge beta and campaign network co-op will come in the winter update which will run from November 8 to March 7. A new season, Halo Infinite: Echoes Within, will kick off March 7 and run until June 27 of next year. 

Xbox suggests using Discord for Halo Infinite campaign co-op when it finally drops.