Warzone and Infinite on the 8th
(Image credit: 343 Industries)
What should typically go down as a massive day for multiplayer gaming, December 8th brings in two major AAA updates, but there are lingering problems. The additions attempt to shake up the narrative on recent releases, but Halo Infinite and Call of Duty Warzone have issues noted. 343 Industries is activating the campaign for Halo, while Activision drops an entirely new map for Warzone Pacific. The Load Screen briefly covers the launch of these two titles’ content updates and why some gamers may want to wait before playing either.
343 Industries has not released much direct gameplay footage from the campaign other than the Halo Infinite Campaign Launch Trailer that aired on November 30th. That video gives gamers some hope because it displays large open combat areas that are the biggest in franchise history. The trailer itself was short and featured cutscene story content, so it does little to quiet those worried about graphics issues. Add in the fact that the Co-Op campaign comes out separately early next year, according to Eurogamer’s interview with 343 Head of Creative Joseph Staten, and the fears rightfully increase.
The multiplayer PVP side of Halo Infinite is not without issues that 343 Industries has yet to patch out. Usually, PVP and campaign concerns are separate since only one game mode requires a good network connection. This separation breaks down since most game modes now rely on an active internet connection to play, causing an overlap of network issues. Current headaches like the server desync problem could appear in the campaign, especially with vehicles, as noted in this THEGAMER Halo Infinite desync issue article. Unfortunately, network-related hiccups factor into the co-op campaign delay as well.
(Image credit: Raven Software and Activision)
Then there is the Warzone MMO update with a new map called Caldera with fifteen zones and even more points of interest to find. While that seems exciting, the new season brings problems that include integration with Call of Duty Vanguard. For starters, only Vanguard owners can play the map on release day since base Warzone players have to wait 24 hours before getting access. Even worse, the title combination ensures that all weapon and unique issues from Vanguard compile with current gameplay problems of Warzone. There are many concerns about both titles, and The Washington Post’s article “As ‘Warzone’ and ‘Vanguard’ merge, questions remain about the new map and update” does an excellent job of consolidating player worries about the latest installment.
Activision’s big release for Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific is equally worrisome, with gameplay and internal workforce issues at the publisher causing boycotts. The company is not in the best position right now politically, and they are making moves with their studio Raven Software which develops Warzone. As reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier on a Twitter post, the company let go of several employees from the QA division, which could compound the time it takes to resolve issues within the game since that is a fundamental goal of Quality Assurance.
While these issues are troublesome, most are fixable with further patches, which is why The Load Screen will wait for the developers to work out some initial kinks on their games. For those who cannot wait, the Halo Infinite campaign will arrive on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, while Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific is available on those platforms as well as PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Play at your own risk, though.
