Prior to the launch of Halo Infinite in 2021, Xbox fans were very excited for a new era of Halo multiplayer, especially when it contained consumer-friendly features like free-to-play online access and battle pass progression that never expired. Over the course of the game's life cycle, Halo Infinite has had a mixed reception overall - but that battle pass feature is being remembered fondly after two huge 2024 titles have now copied it.
The recently-released Marvel Rivals and Sony PlayStation's Helldivers 2 have been some of the biggest live service games of the last year-or-so, and they both feature battle pass-like progression systems that don't have a time limit. These two new releases have gotten some recognition online for this feature - with Xbox fans quick to remind folks that it was actually 2021's Halo Infinite that implemented it first.
There are absolutely loads of ongoing live service games out there these days, so this sort of never-ending battle pass feature has been implemented elsewhere since Halo Infinite's launch. For now though, Marvel Rivals and Helldivers 2 are getting lots of credit for allowing players to take their time when tackling battle pass progression - even though 343 pioneered the move.
Still, it's pretty cool to see fans shout out the 2021 Xbox title for trying this first - in the end, Halo Infinite multiplayer probably got a lot less recognition than it ultimately deserved. The team is still delivering updates as well, even with its recent rebranding to 'Halo Studios' over at Microsoft HQ.