343 Industries Delay Halo Infinite to 2021

Developers 343 Industries has announced that Halo Infinite will be delayed until 2021, making it no longer an Xbox Series X launch title.  The delay will also impact the PC and Xbox One versions of Halo Infinite.

The reasons given is that with the combination of the challenges that COVID-19 has brought and I’m sure the not-so-great reception following the recent Halo Infinite gameplay reveal, 343 Industries decided that the game needed more development time.

To be honest, in an ideal world, Halo Infinite would be the perfect Xbox Series X launch title, but unfortunately we do not live in an ideal world and with a game as huge as the Halo series, its imperative that Halo Infinite launches as the best game that it can be.  Because if they get this wrong, it would surely be the end of 343 Industries tenure with this iconic franchise.

However, even if this delay is the right move, it will no doubt have an impact on Xbox Series X launch sales and it makes me think whether it might have been worth considering delaying the console too.  Let us know your thoughts across our social media channels.  You can read the statement in full from 343 Industries below.

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.

Chris Lee