Halo Infinite campaign co-op won’t offer online matchmaking

Halo Infinite’s campaign multiplayer beta test is currently live, giving players the chance to squad up in one of last year’s best games. However, those looking to find a group of friends to play with through official channels are out of luck. In a statement to GamesRadar, an Xbox spokesperson said the company has no plans to add matchmaking to Halo Infinite’s campaign co-op for its final release.

Instead of official matchmaking, Xbox suggests players use external tools like Discord. In its statement to GamesRadar, an Xbox statement specifically called out the new Xbox Discord service as a useful tool for gamers looking to find likeminded campaign players both during the beta period and once the feature goes live in its final state.

This news is disheartening for Halo Infinite fans who’ve waited almost a full year to be able to play campaign co-op, a longtime staple of the series, with other players. While many players who’ve been waiting for this feature have friends or family they’ve been looking forward to playing with, others surely do not.

As games get more complex, developers have started to rely on third-party software to aid player problems — this has been happening for years in Destiny 2, where players use third-party tools like Discord to find raid members and other programs to organize their inventory. And while these tools are useful for those that use them, players who are unwilling to jump through the hoops to use third-party options — or who are just ignorant of their existence — will have a subpar experience.

The test period on Halo Infinite’s campaign co-op runs until Aug. 1, through the Xbox Insider Program. The feature will officially launch later this year, alongside the ability to replay campaign missions.