Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek isn’t just one of the biggest Twitch streamers and gaming personalities in the world, he’s also a former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player. More so than most, his take and opinion on games carries weight, not just because of his massive audience, but because of his informed opinion, particularly when it comes to first-person shooters. Unfortunately for Microsoft and 343 Industries, Shroud isn’t convinced by what has been shown off of Halo Infinite so far and thinks the game will need to make some big changes to the series’ formula to compete in an era far more competitive than when Halo sat amongst the kings of the multiplayer space.
During a recent Twitch stream, Shroud found himself messing around with Halo 4, the first game in the series developed by 343 Industries after creators Bungie left it behind to pursue Destiny. And Shroud wasn’t too impressed with what he played, which led to his point about the series feeling dated and how this is something Halo Infinite needs to address.
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“Halo Infinite needs to change a lot so that it meets up with current expectations,” said the streamer. “Halo is dated, but it makes sense. The games are old. So it makes sense for the games to feel dated.”
Shroud followed this up by admitting he’s not a Halo expert. In other words, take his criticism with a grain of salt, but it’s a criticism many have lodged against the series. It does feel dated in many regards, but this is the appeal to many of its hardcore fans, which leaves 343 Industries in a difficult place. Do you chase the trends and hope you strike gold, or do you play it safe and acknowledge the series is never going to compete with juggernauts like Call of Duty and Fortnite?
So far, it seems 343 Industries is striving to strike a balance between these two. Halo Infinite looks very reminiscent of the original trilogy, particularly Combat Evolved. However, the open-world and elements around the edge suggest 343 Industries and Microsoft are also trying to modernize the series as well. Of course, the problem with trying to strike a balance between these two is you run the risk of coming up short on both ends and not satisfying anyone.
Halo Infinite is in development for the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC. At the moment, there’s been no official word of a release date.
