Halo Co-Creator Reacts To Halo Infinite Beta

The reactions to Halo Infinite's multiplayer beta have been steadily pouring in as more and more people got to try the game this past weekend. One such person who shared their thoughts is Marcus Lehto, the co-creator of the Halo universe and the designer of Master Chief.

Lehto said he had a "great time" playing Infinite over the weekend, going on to praise its combat and map designs. "Combat is fresh yet familiar and the game looks fantastic. Beautiful map designs too," Lehto said.

Lehto's position on Halo Infinite has seemingly improved over time, as he previously said he was "pretty worried" about the state of the game after 343 showed off its less-than-thrilling campaign demo back in 2020. But Lehto said he was impressed to see 343 listen to feedback and make improvements. That being said, 343 still has not shown off much of Halo Infinite's campaign, which is understandable at least for the time being as the studio focuses on showcasing and testing multiplayer.

"As an artist and creative director looking at the overall game, [I am] really impressed with where they are taking things and how they are kind of harkening back to some of the original designs," Lehto said in July. "Yes, I know a lot of the designs were from the Bungie era, but they're taking their own spin on it still. They're not just copying things verbatim. They're making it unique for Infinite, and it feels like it. It feels really good. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda jealous because I think it looks like one of the best Halos that has been created thus far.

Lehto's latest studio, V1 Interactive, shut down after its first game, Disintegration, failed to find an audience. More recently, Lehto teased some big career news--and he expects it to be divisive.

The next Halo Infinite beta test begins September 30, and it will invite players to try Big Team Battle for the first time.