Following the launch of Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode, 343 Industries has confirmed that it's currently assessing the game's controversial multiplayer progression system.
The announcement was made in a tweet by studio community director Brian Jarrard. "Thank you to everyone who has jumped into the Halo Infinite beta so far," said Jarrard in the tweet.
"FYI the team is looking at Battle Pass progression and gathering data from yesterday's sessions and we'll share updates as we have them," he continued before asking fans to share further feedback as and when they felt necessary.
Thank you to everyone who has jumped into the #HaloInfintie beta so far! FYI the team is looking at Battle Pass progression and gathering data from yesterday's sessions and we'll share updates as we have them. Please continue to share feedback and raise flags as you see them. 1/3
— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) November 16, 2021
Halo Infinite has adopted a Battle Pass system to reward players with cosmetic content, similar to modern multiplayer shooters such as Fortnite and Call of Duty – but the way in which you progress along that Pass is slightly different. The crux of the issue that players have with Infinite's Battle Pass comes down to how XP is rewarded. In its current state, players are only able to progress through the battle pass by completing daily and weekly challenges in the game, meaning that XP isn't necessarily granted just by completing matches and playing games.
Following the launch of the game's multiplayer mode, a number of players on the game's subreddit have commented that progress through the pass feels too slow with at least one fan calling it a "slog" and another an "unenjoyable grind."
Despite the game's multiplayer mode launching to fans this week, the issue of Halo Infinite's multiplayer progression was raised by players during the game's previous technical playtests. At the time, a statement from 343 addressed the issue, saying:
"While we understand the community’s feedback around wanting a steady drip of match XP and more ways to earn XP for the Battle Pass, we are optimistic that the system available at launch will give players adequate means of continually having something to accomplish and a means to progress. Looking further ahead beyond launch, we expect these systems to evolve in direct partnership with player feedback."
Multiplayer progression aside, the launch of Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode has been largely positive. While some versions of the game did experience some teething issues to begin with, the game has amassed a large audience of players in its opening few days.
On Steam alone, data from SteamDB suggests that the game saw over a quarter of a million concurrent players during its opening 24 hours. While it will be interesting to see whether that number increases over the weekend period, the figure already places it as the 22nd highest concurrent peak in the platform's all-time history.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.