Sad news, Halo fans! The highly-anticipated Halo: Infinite has been delayed into 2021.
However, the Xbox Series X will still launch as planned in November.
Pushed back to 2021
Microsoft confirmed that it is putting a pause on Halo: Infinite’s scheduled launch this year.
The next Halo game will be pushed back to 2021 for the developer, 343 Industries, to have more time to refine the final title.
This news is a huge blow to the Xbox Series X, which will proceed in November according to Microsoft.
Halo: Infinite was supposed to be the platform’s biggest release at launch.
Players planning to pick up the Series X this holiday will have to wait before they can play the highly-anticipated title.
New game releases are often timed to drive sales of new consoles ahead of the holidays, with Halo: Infinite initially expected to be a major boost for the Xbox Series X.
Confirmed delay
Multiple factors such as ongoing impacts from COVID-19 led to the decision.
343 studio head, Chris Lee, confirmed the announcement on Twitter:
“Today I want to share an important Halo Infinite development update with the community. We have made the difficult decision to shift our release to 2021 to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a Halo game experience that meets our vision.
The decision to shift our release is the result of multiple factors that have contributed to development challenges, including the ongoing COVID-related impacts affecting us all this year. I want to acknowledge the hard work from our team at 343 Industries, who have remained committed to making a great game and finding solutions to development challenges. However, it is not sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday.
We know this will be disappointing to many of you and we all share in that sentiment. The passion and support the community has shown over the years has been incredible and inspiring. We wanted nothing more than to play our game with the community this holiday. The extra time will let us finish the critical work necessary to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever at the quality we know our fans expect.
Thank you for your support and understanding.”
The military science fiction FPS title is one of the best-selling game franchises, and Halo: Infinite will be the series’ sixth installment.
Halo: Infinite looked entertaining in its first gameplay reveal in July, but many criticized the game’s visual style.
There are also rumors claiming that development of the campaign was coming in hot and likely would raise various in-game issues at launch.
A delay could do the next installment of the celebrated video game franchise some good, especially if Microsoft wants the game to last in the competitive gaming market for years.
Both Microsoft and Sony are upgrading their game consoles this year, offering game-changing performance capabilities compared to the current generation launched in 2013.
