Halo Infinite’s story is finally expanding though not through in-game DLC

New Halo Infinite content will be arriving next month in the form of a new book that details the events leading up the game’s main narrative. While the concept is intriguing to fans, many are frustrated that this won’t be taking the form of playable DLC.

Halo Infinite has been out for over six months and is still yet to release many key features and gameplay modes. Things like co-op campaign, mission restart, and Forge are all still being worked out, much to the dismay of Halo players.

Meanwhile, they’re still working on updates for The Master Chief Collection and will even be bringing never-before-scene content to the game later on in the year.

Now, fans will finally be getting some new Halo Infinite content but it may not be what they were expecting or wanting. Developers 343 revealed in a recent blog post that the latest Halo game will be getting an associate book. In the post, 343 included an audiobook preview of the novel’s first chapter for fans to listen to ahead of its August 6 release.

What is the new Halo Infinite novel about?

The devs announced that the book will be called Halo: The Rubicon Protocol and has been written by author Kelly Gay.

For anyone who has read previous Halo books, Gay was also the author of Rion Forge and Axe of Spades. 

Halo: The Rubicon Protocol will focus on the six months leading up to the Master Chief’s reawakening and arrival on Zeta Halo. While players were given brief snapshots of the events via audiologs throughout the campaign, this novel will flesh out this new part of Halo lore.

Specifically, it will explore the actions and movements of the Spartans who arrived at Zeta Halo before Master Chief and their battles and conflict with The Banished.

Fans would rather see this Halo story played out as DLC

Halo novels are usually always well received by fans due to their immersive storytelling and expansion of the lore. In total, the Halo universe has over 30 official novels, many of which take place in between each game as a way to fill in the blanks.

However, players are less than thrilled to hear of this tie-in book because they believe this story should be something that’s added into the game as DLC content instead.

In response to 343’s announcement on Twitter, gamers expressed their disappointment at this content being released as a book and that it was a missed opportunity for devs. Many are saying it could have even been created as a standalone game, similar to how Halo: Reach operated as a prequel game to Halo: Combat Evolved. 

Many are also challenging 343 on why this content is releasing when many other promised add-ons for Halo Infinite are still yet to be made available.

“[Kind of] a let down to see 343 take a story-driven game like Halo and move important info about the story to an audio book,” one agitated fan wrote.

The official synopsis for the novel was included in the post and describes the book as the following:

“December 2559. Humanity has its back against the wall after the United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity drops out of slipspace into a devastating ambush launched by the Banished.

“As this fierce enemy alliance seeks to claim a mysterious object hidden within the ancient Forerunner construct known as Zeta Halo, the surviving UNSC corps now find itself compromised and its leadership out of reach—with remaining personnel forced to abandon ship and take their chances on the fractured, unpredictable surface of the Halo ring.

“Now survival in this strange, alien environment—whether for Spartan super-soldiers or those who never thought they would see the battle up close—is measured day to day against a relentless and brutal adversary that always has the upper hand. Desperation grows, but the will to keep on fighting and enduring no matter the odds is never in doubt… even as the Banished seek to unleash a frightening new enemy that could doom them all.”