In a talk about their E3 2021 multiplayer reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase Extended, developers from 343 Industries went into more detail on Commander Laurette, a new character for Halo Infinite. Associate Creative Director Tom French, Lead Sandbox Designer Quinn Delhoyo, and Multiplayer Designer Alex Bean joined host Parris Lilly in an in-depth conversation about several specific points in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer reveal trailer. The first thing they discussed from the footage is Commander Laurette and how this new multiplayer character better frames Arena in the lore of the larger Halo universe.
Since taking over the franchise with the development of Halo 4, developer 343 Industries has strived to make Halo multiplayer feel just as important to the ongoing universe as Master Chief’s adventures in the campaign. Matches of Capture the Flag and Oddball are no longer just non-canon multiplayer fluff. Instead, these are Spartan training exercises bringing up the next generation of the UNSC war machine. In Halo Infinite, 343 has given a face to Spartan training in the form of Commander Laurette, a no-nonsense officer who’s in charge of the Academy, the entire training facility embodied in the game’s multiplayer suite.
The last interview of Xbox’s extended Games Showcase was all about Halo Infinite and some of the new additions to multiplayer. Tom French went into detail on Commander Laurette, a former Spartan-IV supersoldier who is now training the next generation of recruits at the Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science. French explains that the academy serves as the “contextual wrapper” for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer, integrating into the story portrayed in the campaign. Later on, Alex Bean mentions that Laurette will be a presence on the battlefield during certain matches, encouraging players to complete objectives alongside the regular multiplayer announcer and their own personalized AI.
The conversation went over some of the new armor and weapons coming to Halo Infinite, as well as the extended life that Halo Infinite will have when compared to past games in the series. Considering the game’s launch on PC as well as being free-to-play, 343 Industries expects its biggest launch ever. In planning for this, Quinn Delhoyo describes launch day as the team’s “starting line.” Players will join them on the development journey once the game is out as the team adds more maps, weapons, vehicles, and customization options to the existing selection. Tom French also mentioned that players who are also Halo Insiders will get their hands on the game this Summer during a technical test, allowing them to meet Commander Laurette months before everyone else and see what big changes have come to Halo’s multiplayer.
It’s clear that Halo fans have a lot of new stories to look forward to in all aspects of Halo Infinite. With the addition of characters like Commander Laurette to the multiplayer suite as well as small touches like Pelicans dropping off vehicles on the battlefield, the experience of jumping into a 4v4 match of Slayer in Halo Infinite may be more immersive than any Halo that has come before. In just a few short months, players can stop directing every gameplay trailer, grab onto an Assault Rifle, and check out the newest iteration of Xbox’s signature FPS series.
