Halo Infinite has been in the news quite a bit lately for the video game industry and the stories have not always been painted with the best intentions. It all really started back in 2019 where fans couldn’t wait for E3 to get here in hopes of finally seeing some real content for Halo Infinite especially in the form of gameplay footage. That event came and what fans got was just a cinematic trailer and the promise of gameplay footage coming to players at E3 2020. We, of course, know that event didn’t happen thanks to the coronavirus health pandemic outbreak. All the events and expos you would have normally attended in-person was cancelled in hopes of avoiding the virus spread even further.
Likewise, with this coronavirus health pandemic, industries as a whole were experiencing new safety measures. For the video game industry, we were seeing employees work remotely and that is not always the most efficient move. Employees are forced to work through online calls and work for plenty of games started to take more time because of this transition. This prompted several games to get delayed, but 343 Industries were pressing on. While fans may not have found their first take on the Halo franchise, Halo 5: Guardians, to be as well developed as the titles Bungie developed prior, the studio was ready to finally showcase some gameplay footage of Halo Infinite during a Microsoft Xbox streaming event this past July.
The result was lackluster for fans. They were quick to jump online to showcase some of the graphical glitches and poor quality for the title. It seemed that in plenty of fan’s eyes, 343 Industries wasn’t able to deliver a Halo game that they had expectations for. This resulted in rumors starting to spread online such as 343 Industries being too distracted with the upcoming Halo TV series along with outsourcing too much of the content for the game to other studios.
343 Industries has since come out with statements claiming that these rumors or information claimed to have come out by credible sources were false. Meanwhile, the game itself was pushed back to 2021 meaning that Microsoft would not see Halo Infinite launch alongside the Xbox Series X. While we may not know what the meetings were like leading up to this decision, it does seem that Microsoft is ready to throw in at least one crucial veteran into the mix to help 343 Industries get Halo Infinite in a suitable shape to ship for fans. That individual happens to be Joseph Staten.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Joseph Staten by name then you are likely at least familiar with his work. Joseph was in charge of the cutscene footage in the first three mainline Halo games and while he was employed by Microsoft, he’s been moved to oversee 343 Industries Halo Infinite. This may be a delight for Joseph to get a chance at playing with an IP that he helped create in the first place. However, there is a ton of pressure also on this game shaping up to be well received. So far nothing official has come out yet regarding this new move but a report from Bloomberg that has sources close to the project has made the announcement.
