A Halo 5 Audio Log Is Hidden in 343 Industries' Latest Halo Infinite Update

A secret audio recording that briefly continues the story of Halo 5 has been discovered hidden in a 343 Industries blog update. The audio, posted on Reddit, features a conversation between an unknown voice, Master Chief, and Catherine Halsey, creator of the SPARTAN-II super soldier project. Halsey notes that “Right now, we are in survival mode, again. Cortana’s message has spread across the galaxy, most sentient AI are siding with her.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/halo-infinite-9-minutes-of-campaign-gameplay"] The conversation seemingly takes place in the wake of Halo 5, in which Cortana goes rogue and is seemingly positioned to be the villain of further Halo stories. However, Halo Infinite has been shown to feature The Banished as its antagonist, the Brute-led faction from Halo Wars 2. This seemed to suggest that 343 was cutting away from the poorly received Halo 5 narrative and forging a new direction, but this audio suggests maybe the Cortana story thread may not have been dropped. The recent Inside Infinite update this audio was found in spends a lot of time discussing Halo Infinite’s position as a “spiritual reboot” of the original Bungie games, and will return to the feeling and “essence” of games like Combat Evolved. But, while it seems 343 is looking to produce a clean-ish break from Halo 5, perhaps 343 plans to carry on with its ideas born in Halo 5 while adjusting the gameplay direction to be closer to Bungie’s games. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=halo-infinite-new-screenshots-february-2021&captions=true"] For more Halo Infinite, be sure to check out the news of its rebuilt, customisable control scheme. Also, if you're heard about other Halo games, they may not be happening soon: job listings for a new 343 game were a mistake, and Halo Wars 3 is not in the works.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.