Halo Infinite’s Craig The Brute Now Has A Beard

It looks like 343 Industries has followed through on its promise to update Halo Infinite’s meme character, Craig the Brute. In the latest campaign footage released on Monday, a Brute who appears to be Craig can be seen–and he has a beard this time around.

At 2:49 in the new campaign demo, Master Chief melees an oncoming Brute, which knocks his helmet off and reveals a new look for Craig. We’re not 100% certain this is indeed Craig–or if Craig refers to all Brutes or a specific one–but Halo boss Joseph Staten cheekily teased that Craig would make an appearance in the video.

The Craig the Brute meme stems from the July 2020 Halo Infinite campaign demo that fans voiced their displeasure for. Craig became the symbol of the game’s lackluster graphics. Microsoft promised that Craig’s looks would improve, and it appears they have.

In other news, fans thought they spotted a glow-up of sorts for the Banished war chief Escharum, but 343’s John Junyszek pointed out that the enemy’s new looks are CG and not in-engine. Still, Junyszek teased that some more news is coming, telling fans to “keep [their] eyes peeled.”

Halo Infinite’s new campaign footage has been received far more positively than the July 2020 showcase, with many commenting that the game looks great and seems to be shaping up well. The release of the new footage comes less than two months before Halo Infinite launches on December 8.

In a big shift for the series, campaign and multiplayer are separate, standalone products. The campaign is a $60 game, while multiplayer is free-to-play. Both are also included with Game Pass.