Bugs, changes, and the like are expected.
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Yesterday's release of the Halo Infinite multiplayer came largely as a surprise to most fans around the world. The free-to-play mode was made available to everyone on Xbox and PC platforms a few weeks ahead of the campaign's planned December 8, 2021 release date.

As polished as this release may appear, 343 Industries is making sure to put out the idea that this is a beta release of the multiplayer. That means that players will be more likely to run into bugs and see changes made during this period.

Head of creative for Halo Infinite, Joseph Staten, said that this beta period will last until at least December 8th when the campaign portion is released. The team is also extending the multiplayer mode's first Battle Pass until May 2, 2022. This is actually a change from the team's original plan to release a new Season every three months. The team made this decision to extend the first season in order to give the team "more time to ensure Season 2 meets our high quality bar and so we can finish development for Season 2 in a healthy and sustainable way for our team."

This isn't just a stretch of three months worth of content into six months though. The team plans to add in additional events, customizations, and other content to fill in the extra time. For example, those that login this first week will get some free 20th anniversary themed cosmetics. Then on November 23rd the opening event, Fracture: Tenrai, will begin which will allow players to earn some samurai-themed armor.

Remarks made on Halo Waypoint explain why this is a beta and what fans can expect to see as a result of that designation.

Why is this release a beta? Our previous Multiplayer Technical Previews went a long way to battle-testing our services and infrastructure. But as we prepare for a significant increase in the number of players jumping into Halo Infinite on launch day, December 8th, we want to ensure all our systems are good-to-go. While you may experience some bumps and bugs during this beta period, it does mark the official start of Halo Infinite Season 1, with all day-one maps and modes enabled as well as the full Season 1 Battle Pass. This means all the Battle Pass and customization items you earn or purchase during the beta will stay with you after December 8th.
Staten wanted to also make sure that fans understand that progress in this beta will carry over to the official release on December 8th.