The Microsoft Xbox brand has a few notable exclusives attached although arguably the biggest happens to be Halo. This IP has been around since the first Xbox console launch and each platform sees several installments released to give players more great science fiction content. While the series was mainly overseen and developed by Bungie, things changed not too long ago that put the IP in control of 343 Industries.
Having the responsibility of such a massive IP that is loved by so many around the world and already contains so much content, is likely not an easy task. To add to that, 343 Industries’ big debut for the Halo franchise came in the form of Halo 5: Guardians which was not a title that too many fans would rank too highly among the other Halo installments that have launched over the years. Still, it’s not swaying the development studio as they went back to the drawing board in hopes of delivering a new Halo installment that goes back to the franchise roots.
This would be the highly anticipated upcoming installment called Halo Infinite. While fans have been waiting for a few years to see some gameplay footage for Halo Infinite, the actual debut of gameplay for the title didn’t come until July of this year. Unfortunately for 343 Industries, fans were not thrilled over the lack of quality and detail that they had expected for a next-generation Halo installment. The gameplay footage was lacking in a few visual departments for fans and it did have some graphical glitches like pop-ins that made the title look to be well behind schedule for a release alongside the Xbox Series X.
It wasn’t long after their gameplay footage reveal that 343 Industries announced the delay of Halo Infinite which would push the game back in 2021. We’re not sure just how long into 2021 we’ll have to wait, but this seems to be the only option right now for the development studio to ensure that they deliver a great Halo product into the market. However, some new rumors are starting to come out unveiling just why the studio is behind schedule.
Thurrott made a publication post earlier this week that alerts readers of some of the information they have received from their own sources in the know for 343 Industries. While big video game titles are usually developed with some outsource companies contributing to the game, a source for Thurrott noted that 343 Industries were outsourcing content at a higher rate than what is the norm for AAA video game titles. That alone made for some problems to ensure that everything was not only on time but being delivered with the expectations 343 Industries likely had placed.
Another source claims that another reason the developed game was behind schedule and lacking in terms of quality for the game demo footage was due to the Halo TV series. Showtime is currently developing a TV series adaptation that 343 Industries will be helping out, but the series has been a rather big distraction for the team which diverted their attention away from the game development.
These are of course just rumors right now. We’re going to be waiting a bit before we likely receive any updates regarding Halo Infinite such as just when in 2021 the game will be hitting the marketplace. For now, if you haven’t seen the gameplay trailer footage that caused this big uproar online then you can check it out in the video embedded above.