This past weekend was a big one for fans of the highly anticipatedHalo Infiniteas 343 Industries put out a playable technical preview for the game. In it, fans were able to get a feel for the game’s multiplayer by playing small arena slayer matches against bots of differing difficulties. For many, this look intoHalo Infinitewas a welcome one as there hasn’t been much in terms of big news about the game following its full-year delay last August.
Unfortunately, alongsidethe good of theHalo Infinitetechnical preview, came some unforeseen leaks in the form of story spoilers. What’s even more unfortunate is that a small group of fans ofThe Last of Us 2is purposefully spreading the spoilers to fans ofHaloInfinitein the name of revenge which, ironically, completely misses the point of the game they claim to love.This article does not contain spoilers for Halo Infinite, but it does contain spoilers for The Last of Us 2.
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Halo Infinite’s Campaign Leaks
While there won’t be anydetails regarding what’s in the campaign leaks forHalo Infinitein this article, it’s important to know what the nature of the leaks is to understand why they’re being spread around maliciously and not out of excitement. 343 Industries’Halo Infinitecreative director Joseph Staten addressed the leaks by taking to Twitter and saying that, “we unintentionally included a small number of#HaloInfinitecampaign files in the tech preview build. Unfortunately, these files contain spoilers.” In an additional tweet, Staten goes on to ask fans to not spread spoilers to preserve the experience for those wishing to play the game and experience its narrative as the studio intended.
As mentioned in Staten’s tweet, the campaign spoilers were found by data miners looking through theHalo Infinitetechnical preview’s code. While it may only contain “a small number” of files, those spreading the leaks seem to have a pretty solid outline for what’s going to happen beat-for-beat in the game’s plot including its ending and major plot twists. Although it did come directly fromHalo Infinite’s code, it’s important to remember that it’s likely that not everything found in the leaks will be 100% accurate, and some elements, while accurate, may be taken out of context meaning that the full picture is still not being shown. Anyone looking to avoid spoilers for the game should consider muting key phrases revolving aroundHalo Infiniteon Twitter and closing all direct messages from strangers.
Developer 343 Industries has made it clear thatthis weekend’s technical preview won’t be the last early look atHalo Infinite, so hopefully, the next early access look won’t contain any more plot spoilers or other information to add to the leakers' arsenal. Another potential outcome is that 343 might intentionally include some inaccurate or fake information in hopes of misleading and confusing leakers to keep the game’s plot shrowded in whatever mystery the studio can put together.
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The Last of Us 2’s History With Spoilers
Games made by Naughty Dog have a heavy emphasis on their narratives, so whenspoilers for the major plot elements ofThe Last of Us 2leaked online, fans were rightly upset. Spoilers regarding Joel’s death and the perspective shift that divides the game were huge, however, not all of the information included in the leaks was accurate. Despite the lack of way at the time to confirm what was and was not true, the spoilers were shared as if it all was accurate leading to plenty of fans swearing off the game before it was even released.
Plenty of people werespoilingThe Last of Us 2before it came outfor a handful of reasons: some were upset over Naughty Dog’s willingness to kill a fan-favorite character, others spoiled the game in hopes of gaining numbers for their hateful, transphobic, and misogynist viewpoints, and some Xbox fans seemingly shared spoilers out of spite for those on the opposing side of the perceived never-ending “console wars.”
As a small section ofThe Last of Us 2fans are maliciously sendingHalo Infinitespoilersto fans of the upcoming game, the first question that comes to mind is: why? It seems like the people who felt the sting of a spoiled plot the hardest would be empathetic to those who are trying to avoid spoilers themselves, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. As it turns out, the group ofThe Last of Us 2fans are looking to get revenge for the spoiling of their game last year.
Many who are trying to ruin the plot for those looking forward toHalo Infinitebelieve that it’s Xbox fans who are to blame forthe leaks regardingThe Last of Us 2in 2020. While that might not be entirely inaccurate as some diehard Xbox fans might have been looking to ruin a PlayStation fan’s enjoyment of the game, it’s really not as simple as saying that one giant group of people are to blame for the spoilers and leaks out ofThe Last of Us.
After a handful of simple Twitter searches, it’s clear that a lot ofHalo Infinitefans have had the plot spoiled for them despite havingno history of spoilingThe Last of Us 2. Apparently, the messages regarding the futility of tribal lines displayed in the 2020 survival horror game were lost on a few of its more diehard fans. SomeHalofans have compiled lists of those who are blindly messaging plot spoilers so that the community as a whole can block them and stop the spread of the leaks. Hopefully, that slows the spread and gives some sort of protection for those trying to enter the game blind.
Halo Infiniteis set to launch in Holiday 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
