It had been a long wait, and many Halo fans were watching Microsoft’s E3 2019 conference closely, hoping to learn more about the upcoming Halo Infinite. While gameplay remained elusive, the trailer we got showed the kind of storytelling that we’ll see in Halo Infinite, showed us Master Chief, and got us excited for what’s to come later this year. Time to dive in!
0:08
The first character we see is not the Master Chief but a sleeping Pelican Pilot, woken up by a warning in his Pelican. Notice that his hair is short right now, likely meaning he hasn’t been adrift for long at the start of the trailer.
1:55
The pilot’s hair is much longer, now. He’s been in the Pelican for quite some time, and he seems distraught, having lost any hope of being found or surviving.
2:27
Although it is slightly blurry in this image, the text directly above the LY number states “LOCAL REF ZETA,” which seems to indicate that the pilot is in the vicinity of Zeta Halo. This detail corresponds with several of the details from the E3 2018 Announcement Trailer for the game, so it is very likely that Zeta Halo will have considerable prominence in Halo Infinite.
2:36
The Master Chief! He’s floating in space amongst some debris, but why would he be out there? The music heard at this point is similar to the music that plays when Master Chief finally reunites with Cortana in the Halo 3 mission Cortana, giving hope to the viewer.
2:55
The Master Chief in his full glory. This armor is not identical to the Mk. VI from Halo 2 and Halo 3, but it bears some strong resemblance to it. The 117 on the chest plate is inspired by the Halo Legends armor, so there is quite a lot of influence from previous Halo titles for Halo Infinite’s art and music.
3:28
Right after the pilot overrides the Survival Mode on Master Chief’s armor, it begins to boot up. There’s multiple important elements here, so let’s dig in. Here, we see green lines go from top to bottom on the screen, with the text “VISR” appearing at first. The green lines are a reference to the screen animation that plays whenever the player respawns in Halo 3, while VISR is the technology that makes the HUD work for ODSTs and Spartans.
3:29
Here we can see that the armor was created by the Materials Group on February 10, 2559. Then, Dr. Catherine Halsey modified the armor on September 19, 2561, which happens to be exactly nine years after the Pillar of Autumn discovered Alpha Halo. Update: Later trailers indicate that the 2561 year is inaccurate and should instead say 2559. The armor itself is Generation III, which means it follows after the Generation II armor used by Spartan IVs in Halo 4 and Halo 5.
3:30
The text at the top reads, “PREPARING A.I. INTRUSION COUNTERMEASURES.” After Halo 5: Guardians, a large number of Smart AIs join Cortana and assume the Mantle of Responsibility, creating a forced peace over all other members of the galaxy. Since these countermeasures exist, they are likely intended to prevent AIs from taking over the suit of MJOLNIR armor. Master Chief is not on Cortana’s side, at least not for now.
3:32
The shield begins recharging here, and it sounds like it did in the Bungie Halo games. Once again, inspiration stemming from the first few Halo games in this title.
3:33
Several red boxes flash across the screen at the very end. Although it is incomplete here, if one were to combine the individual frames into a single image, they would discover a QR code that links to this audio file. Out of context, this audio snippet doesn’t seem to mean anything, but it might have a more relevant connection to something that happens later in the trailer. More on this audio file then.
4:02
Chief has an AI chip with him, although it’s currently dark. The serial number on the chip is fully visible now, and it matches the one we saw at the end of the E3 2018 trailer. The full serial number is CTN0453-0, remarkably similar to Cortana’s CTN0452-9 serial number. It almost seems as though this chip holds another Cortana model.
4:09
The AI chip that Master Chief inserted is marked as a “WEAPON CONTAINMENT DEVICE,” one without an AI. Is the new Cortana model, assuming that’s what the similar serial number means, a weapon?
4:48
A damaged Zeta Halo, displaying the results of some battle or other cataclysmic event, comes into view as a Gregorian chant begins to build up. The pilot mentions that they lost, indicating that this destruction likely occurred during some battle where the UNSC saw defeat.
5:03
The Assault Rifle is shown in full glory here, and it should make Halo: Reach fans quite happy. This Assault Rifle has an official model number different from the MA37 in Halo: Reach, but it was not yet known at the time of this trailer.
5:20
The game is releasing with the next generation Xbox in Holiday 2020! Update: This date has now been postponed to Holiday 2021, roughly one year after the launch of the Xbox Series X. Moreover, the music playing here is instantly recognizable and inextricably tied to Halo. For fans of the original music and art design, this game is a welcome return to the roots of the franchise.
5:40
This room bears a striking resemblance to the Control Room on the first Halo ring. We hear Cortana speak to the Master Chief, although we do not see her. This scene certainly raises more questions than it answers, but there is something hidden here that was revealed with the audio file mentioned earlier. If we synchronize the audio file with the footsteps in this part of the trailer, it seems to fit remarkably well, as shown by Generalkidd here. It does seem to suggest that there are two Cortana models, or perhaps that there are two parts of the same Cortana model.
Summary
We learned a lot more about Halo Infinite in this trailer. Here’s the new points:
Another primary character in Halo Infinite is an as-of-yet unnamed Pelican Pilot who is characterized as someone who nearly loses all hope while adrift in space.
Zeta Halo is still predominant in this trailer, as the Pelican is adrift nearby it and the last part of the trailer seems to take place in its control room. Note that the second part of this statement is technically speculation.
The art, music, and audio are very reminiscent of Bungie Halo games, especially Halo 3.
The Master Chief’s armor is Gen. III, made in 2559, and it was last modified near the end of 2561. Update: It was actually last modified near the end of 2559.
Master Chief has an AI Weapon Containment chip with the serial number CTN0453-0, which is remarkably close to Cortana’s serial number of CTN0452-9. Perhaps it is supposed to contain another Cortana model?
Zeta Halo is damaged for some reason, and the UNSC has lost some battle related to this damage.
The Assault Rifle has a design very similar to the one from Halo: Reach.
The game will be released in Holiday 2020 alongside the next Xbox. Update: The game will now be released in Holiday 2021.
The audio file at the end suggests multiple Cortana models or fragments, further lending credence to this theory.
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