Halo Infinite meme Brute ‘Craig’ helped delay the game, gets a makeover

The first time 343 Industries and Microsoft exhibited the new product was in partnership with Halo Studio. Halo Infinite gameplay in July 2020, reaction to Master Chief’s new adventure was mixed. Many Halo players cheered the new game, hailing it as a return of classic Halo gameplay with some added bells and whistles. (see: grappling hook). Some were disappointed, while others expressed concern about one aspect of the game: Craig, the dead-eyed Brute.

Craig’s thousand-yard stare and graphically unimpressive visage became meme fodder, but the developer has since take the extra time — Halo Infinite was delayed more than a year not long after its public debut — to give the heavily mocked Brute a makeover.

The latest update to Halo Infinite’s development, Steve Dyck, character and combat director, and Bryan Repka, character art lead for the game’s campaign, discussed Craig’s “glow-up” and their “love-hate relationship” with the Brute.

“While it was fun to see the community gravitate towards Craig, he unfortunately represented some content and systems that were not ready for prime time in that demo,” Dyck said. “The positive outcome of Craig was that he was one of the factors in gaining some more time to finish work and get Brutes to a place where the team is happy with them. This is just one example of how 343 aligns with Halo communities around their expectations. Craig is there if you look closely enough. Halo Infinite, his spirit lives on!”

Repka added that “Craig is in good hands” and said that while Craig’s 2020 was a downer, just like the rest of us, “He is feeling very good about himself and has fit back in well with the rest of his Brute friends. Craig has taken up another hobby, and has been doing well. Long live Craig!”

Official Xbox Twitter account got Craig back, showing how Halo Infinite’s been turning around with the extra time.

343’s latest Halo InfiniteThe development update includes a glimpse at updated renders of old enemies, such as Grunt and Jackal. It also features new threats such as Banished or the Skimmer. There’s a lot more packed in there, including an in-depth look at Halo Infinite’s UI/UX, character and vehicle customization, and even a peek at weapon manufacturer logos created and revised for the next Halo game.

Halo InfiniteOn December 8, Xbox One and Windows PC will release the new version of “Dec 8” for both Windows PCs, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Halo Infinite will launch with a free-to-play multiplayer mode and a single-player campaign, but it won’t have cooperative campaign multiplayer or its map-editing Forge mode at launch.