“Remember those walls I built, Well, baby, they’re tumbling down”
Gamers, especially fans of the Halo game franchise, guess we are going to have to wait a little longer for the game release. Microsoft and 343 Industries made the decision to delay the launch of Halo Infinite to 2021.
Why the delay? According the 343 Industries, the delay is related to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Of course. Employees of the company have shifted to work from home and development of large games has been very difficult for many in the industry.
“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,” said Chris Lee, studio head for Halo Infinite.
He added that the decision to shift the release is the result of multiple factors that have contributed to development challenges, including the ongoing COVID-related impacts affecting us all this year. He acknowledge the team’s hard work and does not want to risk their health and safety for the release of the game that was supposed to be out by Christmas.
Halo Infinite isn’t the only game being delayed. Recently, Bungie, developer of Destiny 2, also delayed the company’s next big Destiny 2 expansion to November 10th, citing the difficulties of development during the pandemic. Naughty Dog also cited the pandemic for a delay to the launch of The Last of Us Part II earlier this year.
Still, just a few weeks ago, Microsoft pushed Halo Infinite ahead and demo during its Xbox Game Studios event. Microsoft and 343 Industries at the time were still publicly committed to launching Halo Infinite alongside the new Xbox Series X console, now due to hit store shelves in November.
Other than the pandemic, it was not made clear what other factors that forced Microsoft to delay Halo Infinite to 2021. The game has received mixed reviews however, with some criticising the game’s graphics and visuals. 343 Industries responded to the criticisms that they will work to address some of these areas and raise the level of fidelity and overall presentation for the final game.
Are you a fan of the Halo game franchise? What do you think of the news? Share with us what you look forward most to Halo Infinite.
