'Halo Infinite' leak reveals souped-up Forge

Halo 3's custom map and mode tool Forge was a revolutionary addition to the series, but it looks like Halo Infinite is going to up the ante once again. An alleged leak posted to Twitter indicates that Forge is basically a simplified game engine now, with node editing tools that are similar to what you might see from Unreal Engine.

Keep the engine running — These nodes will allow would-be developers to edit and control items, vehicles, and players, as well as defining their own win states, conditions, and events. This is what video game devs refer to as "scripting," and it means that Forge will give players more freedom than ever before. It has more in common with dedicated toolkits like Garry's Mod and Roblox than it does with your usual map editors.

Obviously, we won't have a good idea of what enthusiasts can do with these tools until until the feature launches after Halo Infinite comes out next month on November 15. Still, it's a promising indication that players will be able to essentially make Infinite into their own game, true to its auspicious subtitle. Whether or not the base game will live up to the classic Halo games is very much an open question, however.

Hype train — If you're curious about Halo Infinite, the game's recent betas have garnered a mostly-positive reception from franchise fans, though they were pretty limited in scope. There's an exclusive Halo Infinite-themed controller and Xbox Series X that look pretty cool, too. If you need a refresher on the convoluted tale of Mr. Halo and his holographic woman friend, check out our crash course.