Canon Fodder

Community

Games

Halo Infinite

Alex Wakeford

Issue 129

Canon Fodder: Eklund’s Ensemble

Community Spotlight

Welcome to our debut Community Corner blog!



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/spotlight-july-7-2022" target="_blank">In our last Community Spotlight</a>, we announced that this particular offering will be expanding and there will be three “spotlight” blogs in rotation on a bi-monthly cadence.



<ul><li>Halo Spotlight: the spotlight you know and love, slightly shorter by default now to make room for these additional features.</li><li>Community Corner: a new blog series dedicated to spotlighting and interviewing individual members of the community.</li><li>Spotlight Evolved: a new blog series dedicated to different aspects of the Halo franchise and its connections with different communities.</li></ul>



We want to celebrate the Halo community and everything it’s got to offer, and this triptych will enable us to give a regular “broader picture” of fan creations, speak more closely with individual creators, and spotlight various communities and topics that stand as pillars of the franchise and fanbase.



For our first Community Corner, we are joined today by UberNick for a discussion about his history with Halo, his journey into streaming, what wisdom he has to impart to those who might be looking to follow a similar path, and more!



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Hello, Nick! Thank you very much for giving us some of your time for our debut Community Corner, why don’t you introduce yourself? Where can we find you online?



Hey! I’m Nick and I have been a massive Halo fan since 2008, I began creating content online in late 2009 and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I am also a content creator for the HCS partnered team Spacestation Gaming!



You can find me on <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/UberNickYT" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.twitch.tv/ubernick" target="_blank">Twitch</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/UberNick" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/ubernick/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>—all with the tag @UberNick



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/Nicktana.jpg" alt="UberNick in a truly astonishing Cortana cosplay" class="wp-image-42453" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/Nicktana.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/Nicktana-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/Nicktana-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/Nicktana-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/Nicktana-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/Nicktana-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption> An iconick look while raising money for the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://gamersoutreach.org/" target="_blank">Gamers Outreach charity organization</a>.</figcaption></figure>



Tell us about your Halo origin story. Where did this great journey begin for you and how has it progressed over the years?



So, as I mentioned above, I started in 2008 with Halo 3. I actually hated it the first time I played it as I was on Legendary difficulty and, being a total noob, I was very frustrated… Turns out starting on the highest difficulty might not have been the best idea!



But being the little achievement hunter I was, I went back to it later, changed the difficulty, and fell in love from there.



I’ve loved every Halo game since. They all offer me something that I enjoy, even the likes of Halo Wars—which is a totally different genre—has taken many hours from me.



I got into making videos with the Bungie Pro service that allowed me to render my Theater mode clips into actual videos that I then used to make some simple videos. From there, I upgraded my equipment until I no longer needed that service, and the rest is history.



Ah, I remember those days! That was the origin of a lot of incredible creativity in the community, we saw so many different groups spring up in the wake of how strongly they were empowered to create and share content.



How did you end up deciding to go full-time with streaming? Was there a moment that, looking back, changed the trajectory of your content creation journey?



I was working an office job I really disliked when, one day, I was called into my boss’s office and told I was being let go due to a shortage of work.



It was at this moment I thought to myself “I either dive head-first into trying to make content creation work, or I give up the dream.”



So, I gave myself three months to make something happen. Luckily, at the end of those three months, I uploaded a video that blew up and completely changed the direction of my channel forever, so I just rode that wave and it has worked out so far!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/NickChamp.jpg" alt="Image of UberNick holding a BTB Bonanza belt" class="wp-image-42467" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/NickChamp.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/NickChamp-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/NickChamp-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/NickChamp-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/NickChamp-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/NickChamp-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption> UberNick assumes the Mantle of Responsibility (colorized).</figcaption></figure>



As the Master Chief himself once said, we made our own luck. What was your first goal when you first started streaming? Did you aspire to get to where you are now?



My goal was—and still is—to create a fun environment for people to come and relax in. They don’t have to worry about their IRL problems as they just sit back and have a laugh with me on my stream. I’ve always just tried to be that friend you watch play Halo while having nothing but a good time.



I also always dreamed of being part of an incredible gaming organisation, In September of last year I was asked to join Spacestation as their first Halo content creator which has been incredible so far.



That’s actually such a wonderful way to put it! Whether it was a sibling or friend, I think a lot of us can relate to having someone who we either watched or watched us play Halo on the couch back in the day—and now we can gather online to share that experience together.



What advice would you give to younger UberNick at the start of his Halo journey—and to other folks who are looking to get into streaming themselves but may not be familiar with some of the challenges?



Just focus solely on what you enjoy doing. Don’t worry about what other people are doing as it becomes very obvious when you’re trying to replicate someone else’s success instead of creating your own.



I fell into this trap a lot in the early days, it’s very easy to do, but eventually I started digging my way out and found myself being a lot happier and having a lot more success because of it. Find your voice, your unique “thing.”



It also takes time. A lot of it. I’ve been full time with content creation for five years and I still learn something new on a regular basis.



Naturally, we have to ask the big question: what’s your favorite Halo game and why?



Halo 3.



Maybe it’s my nostalgia talking, but when I think of Halo 3 I’m just filled with pure bliss. Getting home from school and playing customs with my friends, or Lone Wolves trying to raise my rank, or even playing the campaign over and over never got old to me.



Halo 3 represents a very happy time in my life, and it always will. 



Which Halo character do you feel you relate to the most?



My favorite character is Jorge. I’ve always felt this strange connection to him ever since I first played Reach.



I always have tried to look out for everyone around me in my real life and the sacrifice Jorge made—not only for the rest of Noble Team but the entire planet of Reach—really struck a chord with me.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/JorgeNick.jpg" alt="Screenshot of Jorge-052 from Halo: Reach alongside UberNick" class="wp-image-42481" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/JorgeNick.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/JorgeNick-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/JorgeNick-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/JorgeNick-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/JorgeNick-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/07/JorgeNick-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption> “Better get going, Nick, they’re gonna need you down there!”</figcaption></figure>



What are some of the things that you love about the Halo community?



The amount of incredible talent within the Halo community is a joy to watch. Whether it’s artists, or YouTubers making incredibly fun videos, the Halo community is filled with some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.



I also love the passion. Halo fans don’t agree on everything, but we all want the same thing: the success of Halo. I have never seen a community just as passionate as ours.



As a fellow member of the Forerunner Council for Halo Infinite, what did that mean for you as such a big fan of the series?



It was the biggest honor to be invited to the Forerunner council. At the end of the day, I am just a Halo fanboy, so getting to play even a tiny role in Halo Infinite’s launch was a dream come true.



What’s a random fun fact about you?



I am 6ft 4” 🙂



Pineapple on pizza, yay or nay?



Yes, but I would never order it personally. (I’d always steal a slice though.)



Are there any exciting things coming up that we should keep a lookout for on your channel?



I’ve had a very busy year with plans of moving to the US, so for now I am just going to be getting my YouTube content back on track and continuing to create the best possible stream environment I can!



We wish you all the very best with the move! Lastly, are there any folks out there you want to give a shoutout to?



Big shoutout to the Halo community, we all have different opinions but we all just love Halo.



And also to my girlfriend SJ (OathxX), we met because of Halo which I think is pretty darn cool!



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Be sure to go and check out Nick’s channels for some top-quality Halo entertainment. As a reminder, you can catch him on <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/UberNickYT" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.twitch.tv/ubernick" target="_blank">Twitch</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/UberNick" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/ubernick/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.



Huge thanks to Nick for taking the time to join us for this first Community Corner piece, we can’t wait to speak with more of you and learn about your great journeys with Halo!

Issue 001

Community Corner: UberNick

Halo Infinite fan art by ImShizo

Spotlight: July 7, 2022

Community Update

Bioroid Boogaloo

Issue 128

Canon Fodder: Encyclopedia Extravaganza

Entrenched Endeavors

Noble Team, by Entransing

Spotlight: May 19, 2022

Canon Fodder: Lore of the Jungle

Hello Everyone,



With Season 2 locked and loaded for May 3rd, we want to
share a roadmap of what we’re planning to deliver during Season 2 and for the
rest of the year. 



More than anything else, we want this roadmap to be accurate
and reliable. Some items and dates are certain, and these are clearly listed.
Others are marked as “targets” or “goals” and they will become more certain
over time. The roadmap’s timeframe will also expand as we announce longer-term
initiatives. In other words, this roadmap is an evolving document, and we’ll
let you know when we make changes to it.



With all that in mind, here’s the Halo Infinite roadmap for 2022:



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April.jpg" alt="Halo Infinite's 2022 roadmap as of April 22" class="wp-image-33672" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite-2022Roadmap-April-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></a></figure>



This roadmap reflects the same studio priorities <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/halo-infinite-update-march-2022" target="_blank">that we shared back in March</a>…



<ul><li>Addressing issues negatively impacting player experience.</li><li>Completing Season 2 and delivering it as promised on May 3. </li><li>Continuing work on Campaign Co-op, Forge, and Season 3.</li></ul>



…with a “priority zero” of team health and getting ourselves into a sustainable development rhythm so that we can deliver great experiences to all of you while maintaining a healthy work/life balance.



We know we need to deliver more content and more features more quickly. Staying true to priority zero means that sometimes we need to slow down in order to stay healthy and move faster later. But we’re also aggressively looking at ways to accelerate.



For example, we want to get the Forge toolset into your hands sooner rather than later so that awesome community maps and modes can more rapidly make their way into the game. To make this happen, we’re targeting a Forge open beta later in Season 2. We’ve successfully had Forge in private flighting with a limited audience for some time, so we’ve decided to forgo a large-scale formal flighting program and go right to open beta. With this approach, we can get the core Forge tools out to everyone quicker while also remaining focused on our core priority of continuing to improve foundational aspects of Halo Infinite. Forge will persist from the open beta onwards, evolving and growing over time.



As we continue to improve and ramp up, please understand that all of us at 343 are fully committed to making Halo Infinite the best Halo experience ever. Indeed, the primary reason that we’re extending Season 2 is to give us time before shipping another Season to fully address “quality of life” improvements based on <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/season-1-outcomes-report-live" target="_blank">learnings from Season 1</a> as well as other data and feedback we’ve collected.



Quality of life (QoL) is shorthand for bug-fixes, new features and/or content to address issues negatively impacting player experience. We’ll be delivering QoL improvements as part of Season releases and as separate updates during Seasons.



Our player-facing term for QoL updates that land during Seasons is “Drop Pods.” And much like their ODST namesakes, these release vehicles are meant to drop in hot, just as soon as they’re ready. Our target is one Drop Pod every month, and you can expect Drop Pods to vary in scope and size. We’ll have more to share about what’s going into Season 2’s Drop Pods as soon as possible after Season 2 launch.



Speaking of which, Season 2 launch is now less than two weeks away, on May 3! If you haven’t already seen the previews for Season 2’s <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/season-2-map-previews-catalyst-and-breaker" target="_blank">new maps</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/season-2-modes-preview" target="_blank">new modes</a>, please have a look. During these preview videos, you’ll spy some of Season 2’s new armor customization options. And here are a few extra combinations to whet your appetite:



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="1440" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-33643" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/04/HaloInfinite_SpartanLineup_S2_4k_WATERMARKED-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a></figure>



We’ll have a lot more to share about Season 2 including a deep dive into its Battle Pass rewards, events—including brand new “multiplayer narrative events” that place your personal Spartan in the center of an evolving Seasonal storyline—game modes, and much more during a community livestream scheduled for next Wednesday, April 27, at 1:00 PM PST on <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/Halo">Twitch.tv/Halo</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/Halo/live">YouTube.com/Halo</a>. We’ll also be discussing the roadmap in more detail during this livestream.



In summary: we are committed to delivering more content faster; we will accelerate while prioritizing team health; you can expect QoL improvements during Seasons via Drop Pods—and you can expect more regular roadmap updates as our plans snap into sharper focus.



On behalf of the entire Halo Infinite team, thank you for your passion and patience as we embark on the road ahead. We’re fired up to deliver what’s already on the roadmap as well as to deliver other content and experiences that we’re not ready to reveal just yet… but that we can’t wait for you to play.



Joseph Staten Head of Creative, Halo Infinite

343 INDUSTRIES

The Road Ahead

Halo Infinite Update – April 2022

Among Flood