Halo Infinite gets fall 2021 launch window

[Shawn Knight]

Bottom line: Halo Infinite was scheduled to arrive as a much-needed launch title alongside the Xbox Series X/S last month but following its concerning reveal over the summer, the narrative started to change. The game is now getting a fresh coat of paint but unfortunately, fans are going to have to wait a while for it to dry.

Aaron Greenberg, GM of Xbox marketing at Microsoft, initially suggested that the shortcomings fans were complaining about during the reveal were the result of a lower quality (1080p) stream and suggested folks watch the presentation in 4K 60 FPS.

A few weeks later, developer 343 Industries announced it was pushing the game’s launch back into 2021 in order to ensure they have enough time to “deliver a Halo game experience that meets our vision.” But when exactly?

We got a better sense of when to expect the game this week and unfortunately for eager Halo fans, they’ll need to exhibit some patience over the coming months.

Creative director Joseph Staten said in a recent blog post that 343 Industries is aiming to ship Halo Infinite in the fall of 2021.

“Yep, that’s when the game is coming out,” Staten said. “And from now until then, every one of us at 343i and our great partner teams will be building, testing, and polishing an experience we hope all of you love,” he added.

Neill Harrison, director of art management at 343 Industries, said the primary goal of the demo in July was to show gameplay for the first time. “While that aspect generally landed as we wanted, the reality is that the art and visuals weren’t at the bar we hold for Halo – even in a work-in-progress state,” Harrison added.

For a deeper look at how 343 Industries is transforming Halo Infinite based on fan feedback, be sure to check out the in-depth interview with several of the team members working on the game over on the Halo blog.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/87904-halo-infinite-gets-fall-2021-launch-window.html

 

[Prosercunus]

Yikes. I respect developers when they take the time to polish up a game, but this really needed to be a launch title to compete with PS5 exclusives.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Xbox Series X lack of launch titles sucks, but it's made better by the fact that: Cyberpunk and CoD BO work on it and most people will be stuck playing those games for a while and #2 the backward compatibility is strong.

I personally am not excited for Halo sequels.

 

[DZillaXx]

Yikes. I respect developers when they take the time to polish up a game, but this really needed to be a launch title to compete with PS5 exclusives.

Not really.

While the PS5 has a better launch lineup, and that is a fact, the games themselves are nothing special. Spiderman is on PS4 and Demon's Souls is a game that really isn't for everyone. Its a game the minority of gamers will enjoy rather than the majority... I own the game on the PS3 and it is a slow tedious game to play. You really have to be into that type of gameplay to really enjoy it, otherwise most will stop playing half way through.

IMO the PS5 game I'm waiting for is Ratchet and Clank, but even the next Horizon game will be on PS4. Like most I'd take a polished game over something rushed. But its not like 3rd party games have been the focus this holiday season, and Cyberpunk is by far the biggest title that will be played on these new gen consoles.

 

[m4a4]

Not terribly happy that I have to wait another year after the hyped launch date... but I'd rather they push the game back significantly, than try to rush it and either push it back a few times more or push something lower quality.

Sounds like they're also updating the art style to something I like more (a plus for me) that is more in line with the more recent games.

Eh, maybe I'll try getting into the MP beta to see how the progress is going......

 

[Dyson Parkes]

Sure, polish the game. Sure, give a rough time of release.
<rant>But... please, for the love of everything you believe in, stop using blasted seasons as times.

Say "2nd quarter" or "4th quarter" etc. Not "Summer", "Fall", etc. The quarters are standard the world over - the seasons are not. Christmas in NZ is sunny, not snowy (for example). Using localised references for a worldwide reference is baffling to me.</rant>

 

[kiwigraeme]

I clicked on it to see how you could get 343 industries working on just one game - what a let down

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Yikes. I respect developers when they take the time to polish up a game, but this really needed to be a launch title to compete with PS5 exclusives.

The Xbox 360's big launch title was call of duty, a game that also existed on other platforms. Halo 3 came out in 2007, two years after the consoles launch. If infinite is good, MS has nothing to worry about.

Of course that is one hell of a statement, as 343 has shown little competence in game map design or technical prowess in the MCC. Their storytelling skills are below that of the disney sequels, and they have consistently alienated their big community members that made halo last so long in player's minds with custom game modes and glowing reviews. They've ruined the extended cannon with self inserts and mary sues, and what they did to Halsey is downright heretical. They've done a great job of following the AAA trend of sanitized black and white characters and stories that are either totally nonsensical or so simple a preschooler would get bored.

I have no doubt infinity will release, sell, and fade away within a few months. Just another shooter game to consoom, chasing trends with no identity of its own. Halo 5 already did away with most of the unique elements of halos combat.

 

[mbrowne5061]

The Xbox 360's big launch title was call of duty, a game that also existed on other platforms. Halo 3 came out in 2007, two years after the consoles launch. If infinite is good, MS has nothing to worry about.

Of course that is one hell of a statement, as 343 has shown little competence in game map design or technical prowess in the MCC. Their storytelling skills are below that of the disney sequels, and they have consistently alienated their big community members that made halo last so long in player's minds with custom game modes and glowing reviews. They've ruined the extended cannon with self inserts and mary sues, and what they did to Halsey is downright heretical. They've done a great job of following the AAA trend of sanitized black and white characters and stories that are either totally nonsensical or so simple a preschooler would get bored.

I have no doubt infinity will release, sell, and fade away within a few months. Just another shooter game to consoom, chasing trends with no identity of its own. Halo 5 already did away with most of the unique elements of halos combat.

To be fair, Halo 3 also had like the world's greatest cliff hanger to ensure everyone was going to jump right into it as soon as it was available. My bet has always been that someone at Bungee, during the development of Halo 2, did a back-of-the-napkin math, and realized that Halo 3 was going to release a year or two after the next Xbox, and they would need a way to not only get Microsoft off their backs about Halo 3 being a release title, but to help ensure gamers would buy the game ASAP. Ending Halo 2 with a cliff hanger was the perfect choice, if this is true.