Just a few weeks after 343 Industries showed off gameplay footage of the anticipated next chapter in the Halo franchise, they have announced the release Halo: Infinite has been pushed back from this fall to 2021, meaning the game will not be a launch title for Microsoft’s next gen console Xbox Series X.
343’s studio head Chris Lee explained that the delay is a combination of wanting to give its developers more time to complete the game and the ongoing global health crisis. “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,” Lee said. “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.”
Halo Infinite Development Update pic.twitter.com/TFZvXhRN9f
— Halo (@Halo) August 11, 2020
Halo: Infinite is being called the most ambitious Halo game that has been developed to date while being a “spiritual reboot” for new players to enjoy. It is introducing new concepts to the franchise, making the game an open world for players to explore rather than a straight campaign with several levels. A couple new mechanics showed off in the gameplay footage was the Grappleshot, a device players can use to against enemies or to pull items to them, and the Drop Wall, an energy shield players can deploy for defence.
The Halo franchise has primarily followed the Master Chief, an augmented super soldier in war against an alien faction known as the Covenant and an ancient, artificial ring world called Halo which has the power to wipe out all life in the galaxy. Halo: Infinite will mark the sixth main game in the series along with the spin-offs Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. There have also been two Halo Wars, a pair of real time strategy games where players build and control armies for the UNSC or Covenant.
Are you disappointed in the Halo: Infinite delay or glad that it will have more time to develop? Let us know on our social channels at @flickeringmyth!
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
