Developer 343 Industries of the Halo series revealed on December 8 that the highly anticipated Halo Infinite series will launch in Fall 2021 after delaying their original goal. Halo Infinite was supposed to launch with the release of the Xbox Series X|S this fall but was announced to be delayed in August. Joseph Staten, Creative Director for Halo Infinite, cited the reasons for delaying are due to wanting to finish the game at a healthy pace. Microsoft and developer 343 Industries did not give an exact date so it’s possible players are wanting a whole year past the original launch day.
The first teaser trailer for Halo Infinite came out in June which excited Halo fans. In July, Microsoft hosted the Xbox Series X games showcase where the first demo for Halo Infinite was revealed. Along with the announcement of the delay, they also provided updates for various components of the game. In the update, Nicolas Bouvier, Senior Concept Artist, and Art Director addressed the criticism for the graphics in the demo from July and said that they were not at the bar they hold for Halo. The feedback from the community helped search for additional opportunities to improve the game.
My first week on the job, I played the entire Infinite campaign. Twice. I was, in a word, stunned—in the best possible way—by what the team had done. Infinite is, by far, the most expansive and vertical Halo world, ever. Why did the team do this? Because they understand that wonder and freedom are key to the Halo experience.
It seems the Halo team will keep players up to date with the development of Halo Infinite as they give themselves breathing room to finish development.