Halo is one of Microsoft’s biggest franchises, and 343 Industries know that fans of the first-person shooter series have been around the block a few times. In fact, most of them will probably remember Clippy, the Microsoft Word helper that was deemed unhelpful by the vast majority of users back in the Windows XP days. Still, the sentient paperclip has gained a meme status among Windows faithful, and Microsoft is more than happy to buy into that to sell cosmetics of it in one of its premier Xbox shooters.
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Halo Infinite, the latest Master Chief adventure, just started its second season, revealing a whole new slate of cosmetics for players to acquire. Among those are a profile picture and weapon charm referencing Clippy. Both items are listed as unavailable, meaning that they’re not part of the battle pass and will likely be available in some sort of bundle for an additional fee down the line.
— James Shields (@shieldsjames) May 3, 2022
It’s not the first time that Infinite has seen jokey additions to its multiplayer customization. Last season saw the addition of the joke character Mister Chief as a fully voiced A.I. for use across Slayer, CTF, and the rest of Infinite‘s lineup. The character originated as a joke back when Bungie was still Halo‘s developer, but the face became much more recognizable (and merchandised) once 343 Industries took the reins.
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The game also has Xbox-specific weapon charms referencing the console’s distinctive gamepad. With Infinite being available on PC as well as Xbox, it’s a good way for console players to show off their preferred Halo machine, just as Clippy is a distinctive PC addition. However, these types of cosmetics are all available on both platforms.
