Halo Infinite Teaser Marks The Return Of The Banished

Ahead of its expected gameplay reveal during Microsoft's July Xbox 20/20 event, a short teaser for Halo Infinite has been shared on the game's official Twitter account. The teaser features the ominous warnings from a member of The Banished--a splinter group from the series' main antagonists, The Covenant.

The Banished first made an appearance in Halo Wars 2, which took place after the events of Halo 5. The Banished rejected the ideology of the Covenant and broke away from their compatriots, led by Atriox. Halo Wars 2 chronicles the conflict between The Banished and the crew of UNSC Spirit of Fire, which eventually spilled over onto a new Halo installation.

How this connects to Halo Infinite is still unclear, but it's a hint at the direction the sequel might be taking. Developer 343 Industries has spoken before about how it's trying something new with Infinite, powered by a brand-new engine called Slipspace to do it. Halo Infinite is expected to be one of the highlights at the Xbox 20/20 showcase, although an exact date for the event has yet to be confirmed. Halo Infinite will launch for both Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

Here is the transcript from the Halo Infinite teaser.

The hour approaches

Our forces occupy the ring

Within hours it will be under our control

Humanity will burn

Their brazen defiance will be all but a memory

No more Prophets

No more lies

We stand together

Brothers to the end

We are his will

We are his legacy

We are The Banished

Halo 5: Guardians launched in 2015 for Xbox One, although its campaign was not as well-received as others have been in the franchise. In GameSpot's Halo 5 review, critic Mike Mahardy wrote, "There are signs of a phenomenal shooter here, but certain narrative aspects feel underdeveloped, holding the franchise's newest sequel back from true excellence."