Halo Infinite Ranked Playlist Drops Behemoth CTF For A Good Reason

343 Industries is rolling out additional changes to Halo Infinite, this time specifically focused around the Ranked Arena playlist. A new update out now removes the Behemoth CTF from the regular rotation for a good reason.

The studio is making this change because the match flow is not progressing as 343 wanted it to. "We've seen enough data to show us that the map is not performing in ranked as intended. Most of this data revolves around spawning and effective cover around the map," 343 said in a blog post.

Specifically, when players spawn on the perimeter of the bases with a direct line of sight to the flag, matches are become "more frenetic" than intended, 343 said, noting that Ranked's BR start default is playing a role in this as well. "This leaves players feeling that even a well-coordinated team push into the enemy base can fall apart quickly; resulting in flag pulls being much more difficult than they should be," the developer said.

"Similarly, players seem to be respawning in places that can often feel unpredictable and therefore frustrating to deal with. This goes for both attacking and defending teams," the team added.

Behemoth also lacks "viable cover opportunities," 343 said, and this is further complicated by how everyone starts with a BR in Ranked matches. "As a result, players often find themselves engaged in firefights with limited options from the outside of the map," 343 said.

The studio said it will "take some time" to address the issues and, if the studio feels confident that Behemoth CTF could return, then it will consider bringing it back.

In other news, Microsoft just announced that Halo Infinite set a new record for the biggest launch in franchise history, reaching 20 million players already. Xbox overall is doing great, too, having just achieved its biggest year in the 20-year history of Xbox when it comes to revenue. Outside of the game series, a TV show is on the way, and a new trailer is coming this weekend.