Microsoft Considered Releasing 'Halo Infinite' In Chunks To Hit Series X Launch

By now, you'll have seen the disappointing news that Halo fans are going to have to wait until 2021 to get their hands on Halo Infinite, as 343 Industries' highly anticipated title will not launch alongside Microsoft's new console, the Xbox Series X (and, we think, Series S).

But, as reported by VG247 and VGC (and elsewhere), it seems that the decision to push Infinite back to next year was the absolute last resort. Microsoft's executive VP of Gaming and head of all things Xbox, Phil Spencer, has said that the team considered splitting Infinite into two or more pieces, so that something would release with the Series X.

Speaking on Gary Whitta's Twitch show, Animal Talking (and as written up by Stevivor), Spencer commented that he, 343's Bonnie Ross and Matt Booty of Xbox Game Studios put their heads together on how to tackle the problems that Infinite was facing, and were thinking about breaking the game into separate parts - presumably solo campaign and multiplayer, and possibly further splits within those modes - and releasing them on different dates.

Xbox Game Studios

Ultimately, the decision was made not to take that approach - and to move the complete package back to 2021, following Infinite's... mixed reaction, when it was shown off at July's Xbox Games Event presentation.

"Let me start just by recognising the fans, and the fact that it is a bummer," Spencer said, referring to the delay and the disappointment felt by the team. "It is disappointing to people, it's disappointing to us. We were looking forward to the alignment of Halo Infinite and the Xbox Series X."

And in reference to the decision to not split the game up, he added: "It just didn't feel, to all of us, like the Halo release that we would want. I'll apologise to the fans, because I never like to set up expectations and then not hit them, but I also believe we're making the right decision, in the long run, for both Xbox and Halo and our customers."

The Xbox Series X - and probably the Series S - is due to be released in November 2020, with the exact date still not confirmed (but November 6th feels right, right about now). Halo Infinite will be released for all (three?) Xbox consoles and Windows PCs sometime in 2021.

Topics: Halo, Xbox, Xbox Series X, Halo Infinite