The latest installment in the Halo franchise has been delayed to next year, the studio head announced today.
Halo Infinite, which was initially set for release later this year, has been pushed back to 2021 due to “multiple factors,” according to studio head Chris Lee. One reason for the delay was the ongoing COVID-19 related issues that have affected the studio throughout development.
The developers at 343 Industries said it’s not “sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday.”
This extra time will allow the developers to focus on the “critical work” necessary to finish the product before it’s released next year. The developers didn’t provide an updated release date in 2021.
Since Halo Infinite has been delayed to 2021, it won’t release alongside the Xbox Series X, which is expected to be released this November, according to a blog post on the Xbox Wire. This is a huge blow for Microsoft since Halo is one of its flagship titles and could hinder the initial success of the console.
This announcement comes just months after Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s executive vice president of gaming and the head of Xbox, said that while the Xbox Series X is on schedule to be released later this year, game production could be slowed due to COVID-19. Microsoft won’t “push when things just aren’t ready,” he told CNBC in April.
The developers didn’t mention an expected release date for Halo Infinite in 2021.
