Highly anticipated: Earlier this month, 343 Industries community manager John Junyszek teased some upcoming Halo Infinite playlist additions based on the game community's feedback. True to their word, another community manager delivered some good news to the long-running franchise's fans via the Halo subreddit on Saturday – the devs are adding four new playlists to the game within the next week.
Brian Jarrard, 343's community director notes, the highly anticipated update will give Halo Infinite players additional multiplayer options, including the Fiesta, Free-for-All, SWAT, and much-desired Slayer game modes. The update will also remove some of the game's less popular mode-specific challenges and replace them with new ones that align with the upcoming playlists and features.
Senior Community Manager John Junyszek previously indicated that Slayer would not arrive until sometime next year, making Jarrard's news a very welcome surprise. The development team's shift in focus was based mainly on the Halo community's feedback, which loudly voiced Slayer as a much-desired addition to the game's multiplayer selection. The update will provide a basic Slayer game mode, with later variations planned for future releases.
Veterans of the series should be no stranger to the upcoming game modes. In Fiesta, players spawn with random primary and secondary weapons ranging from basic loadouts to power weapons. Free-for-All matches pit all players against each other, just you against the world. SWAT provides tactically minded players with small teams focused on tactical gunplay. Slayer is arguably the most popular and longstanding of the game's multiplayer modes. It is a team deathmatch that allows various squad sizes, custom loadouts, use of ordinance, etc.
At the end of the post, Jarrard addressed reports of hiccups and intermittent issues related to Halo Infinite's Big Team Battle mode, as well as feedback related to ranked matchmaking. The posts, progress, and updates provided by the 343 devs are a good sign that the company hears their community and intends to give Halo fans the experience they've come to expect.