Halo Infinite co-op will not include online matchmaking

digitaltrends.com:

The upcoming cooperative mode for Halo Infinite won’t include online matchmaking. Players assumed this feature was lacking due to co-op being in beta, but it turns out, online matchmaking won’t be available when the mode launches in full later this year.

This news comes by way of an Xbox representative, who told GamesRadar you’ll have to team up with friends to play Halo Infinite cooperatively.

“Online matchmaking will not be available with final co-op,” the representative said. “We encourage you to continue to use the Halo LFG and the new Discord voice call feature on Xbox to find players to party up with as you continue playing the beta.”

While the Halo LFG is certainly active, having to search for other players via a third-party website is a barrier that could prevent users from experiencing the game cooperatively.

Those who are part of the Halo Infinite Xbox Insider Program have access to a beta version of the co-op campaign, allowing them to check it out before its final release to the general public.

Halo Infinite launched for Xbox in December 2021, but did not include a cooperative campaign. Developer 343 has been working on the cooperative mode while also supporting the free-to-play competitive online portion of the game. The co-op mode was originally supposed to launch earlier in 2022, but was delayed, and now 343 is hoping for it to be finished by August 2022.

In addition, the beloved Forge mode — which allows players to create their own maps — was also absent when Halo Infinite released. The Forge mode will supposedly launch later in 2022.