343 reckons it’s fixed Halo Infinite’s Big Team Battle matchmaking problem (again)

Halo Infinite’s Big Team Battle multiplayer mode hasn’t been working as intended for a good while: The problem being that larger parties can’t get into games and, even when they do, frequently disconnect. A patch apparently addressing this issue went live a fortnight ago but, unfortunately, the fix didn’t take hold and the issue persists and even got worse for some players. “Well, damn…,” as 343 Industries’ Brian Jarrard tweeted at the time.

A new update on Halo Waypoint says that 343 reckons it’s solved the issue, although the patch won’t be available till next week at the earliest:

“Using the telemetry we received from the hotfix on January 19, we were able to make a new build with an update that we believe should address the core issue impacting the BTB playlist. The studio ran a successful playtest today and plans to send it off for certification on Monday. After it’s sent off, it will take some time to go through the certification process and to find out if it’s approved. Once it’s approved, we’ll begin preparing to release it to the public. Since there’s still a little more of the internal release process to go through, the earliest we’d expect this hotfix to land would be next Thursday, February 3.”

(Image credit: 343 Industries)

So, good news for people who like chaotic fragfests with multiple vehicles—and who doesn’t? The BTB fix will also come with some slight tweaks to the shop, which 343 is in the process of reconfiguring to basically be more generous. The Waypoint post addresses some frequent player requests, such as offering certain items individually outside of bundles.

“This is not something the Shop supports right now and we’re evaluating our overall presentation to see how we can better meet the needs and expectations. Through the rest of Season 1, our focus is to provide a better offering of individual items and bundles to help players get the customization they would like without having to buy larger bundles.”

The message is that the shop now is going to stay more-or-less the same through season one of the game, after which “our learnings here will positively impact Season 2 right off the bat.” Don’t get too excited: Season two is expected in early summer. Finally, some will be delighted to hear that the cat ears are coming back: the Purrfect Audio helmet attachment will return to the shop. Meowster Chief anyone?