What kind of game will Halo Infinite be? Obviously, it will be a shooter featuring our old pal Master Chief, and won’t be doing the battle royale thing, but, beyond that, we don’t know a whole lot. Well, a new 343 Industries job ad may shed a bit more light on Halo Infinite’s focus.

　　343 is looking to hire an Online Experience Design Director, who will oversee “microtransactions and integration of our business plan throughout the game”, and the creation of “social and engagement features that encourage players to return again and again with their friends.”

　　So yeah, it definitely sounds like Halo Infinite may be taking the now-standard “games as a service” approach. Of course, the Halo series is no stranger to post-launch updates, microtransactions, and loot boxes, but 343 has to be careful not to take things too far. Up until now, the Halo franchise has retained a certain old-school charm, and first-party games don’t necessarily need to be as profitable as those from third parties, so you can bet there’d be a firestorm if 343 tried to pull a Battlefront II with Halo Infinite. Thankfully, 343 Industries studio head Chris Lee recently stepped in to quell concerns and assure fans Halo Infinite will, at the very least, not have paid loot boxes…

　　Keep the faith, it's appreciated! We’re still working through final plans and will share more when we are ready, but I can definitely say that Halo Infinite will not include real-money loot boxes.

　　— Chris Lee (@tefferlee) September 19, 2018

　　Halo Infinite is a co-production of 343 Industries and Skybox Labs, who previously worked on Halo 5: Forge and Project Spark. Here’s the game’s rather basic official description:

　　Master Chief returns in the next chapter of the legendary franchise in Halo Infinite. Developed by 343 Industries and created with the studio’s new Slipspace Engine, Halo Infinite debuted at the Xbox E3 2018 Briefing with a thrilling engine demo that provides a glimpse into the future of the Halo franchise that leads it into new and unexpected directions.

　　Halo Infinite is coming to PC and Xbox One. A release date (or even release year) has yet to be set.