Halo 3 Forge received multiple new features back-ported from Halo: Reach. On July 15, 2022, players enrolled in the Xbox Insider Program for Halo Infinite got access to a beta version of the game as a test flight for the upcoming co-op campaign feature. Within this build of the game, dataminers were able to access an early version of Halo Infinite's Forge and leak gameplay footage across social media sites, surprisingly to the approval of 343 Industries. Halo Infinite's Forge was released in the form of an official beta version on November 8, 2022 as part of the Winter Update. Reception As a component of Halo 3, Forge received critical acclaim upon its release. GameSpot Jeff Gerstmann described Forge as "an extremely powerful addition that might just take over your life", and praised the editor for the replay value it provided. Heather Campbell of Play Magazine named Halo 3 her game of the year due to Forge, with co-editor Greg Orlando explaining later in the issue: "What separates Halo 3 from other console shooters such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Team Fortress 2, though, is the inclusion of a forge mode and the ability to save and edit gameplay films. [...] Although these modes are standard fare in most PC online shooters, their inclusion in a console game is something entirely new — and entirely wonderful." In an editorial for Edge, N'Gai Croal stated that Forge could "help prove the viability of user-generated content on consoles." Halo 3s iteration of Forge has received comparisons to Garry's Mod, a 2004 Half-Life 2 mod with a similar emphasis on free-form construction and experimentation. Legacy Outside of its intended use as a map editor, Forge has been used to create art installations by arranging in-game props to draw pictures and write messages. Game modes and maps created in Forge have occasionally informed the development of Halo itself. Grifball, a fictional sport that originated in the Halo-themed web series Red vs. Blue, inspired a popular user-created Forge map and game mode styled after rugby. Grifball was developed into an official weekly playlist for Halo 3, and would go on to be included in every subsequent Halo game after Halo: Reach. 343 Industries employee Nick Bird, working as Forge Quality Assurance on Halo Infinite, credited Forge for his interest in game development; "My time in Forge and the Forge community eventually led