Craig, the unfortunate Brute who fans turned into a meme following his low-quality depiction in a Halo Infinite trailer last year, has been discovered as an Easter Egg inside the game for the first time.
The first sighting of a Craig Easter Egg in Halo Infinite was made by YouTuber Mint Blitz when he came across a shrine to the character during the content creator's early access playthrough of the game's single-player campaign.
You can check out the Easter Egg, and how to get to it, in our video below:
As noted by Mint Blitz, the developer has left a number of references to the brute, which can be found on top of the tower at the start of the game's fourth mission. While Craig's first outing saw him taking shots to the body during last year's gameplay reveal trailer, it seems that 343 recognised that a change in profession was much-needed for the calm-faced brute.
Navigating your way to the top of the building at the start of the game's fourth campaign mission, you'll find a number of references to the NPC that suggest he traded in his fighting days to become a rockstar. The Craig shrine itself includes a greatest hits vinyl cover as well as a tour poster detailing when Craig is holding a Zeta Halo tour. Songs on the album include a number of classic Craig chart-toppers such as, 'The Day You Become a Meme', 'Popped in the Chin By My Friend' and 'My Mom Used to Love Me'.
Last month, the Halo Infinite devs explained that they had a "love-hate relationship" with the Craig and its eventual transition into meme form. While the meme itself only came about due to ridicule that 343 faced over content shown off from the game, the character actually allowed the developer more time to refine and polish the game to a higher standard.
“While it was fun to see the community gravitate towards Craig, he unfortunately represented some content and systems that were not ready for prime time in that demo,” said Character and Combat Director Steve Dyck in a Halo Insider post during October.
“The positive outcome of Craig was that he was one of the factors in gaining some more time to finish work and get Brutes to a place where the team is happy with them. This is one of the many positive examples of 343 working with and aligning with the Halo community around expectations.”
For more on Halo Infinite, make sure to check out this piece detailing how the game's Campaign co-op and Forge modes have recently been pushed back.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.