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'Halo Infinite' delayed to 2021 after being criticized for shoddy graphics, fans sad but say it’s right move

Studio head Chris Lee said, "The decision to shift our release is the result of multiple factors that have contributed to development challenges, including the ongoing COVID-related impacts affecting us all this year"

Microsoft and 343 Industries, the American video game developer and a studio of Xbox Game Studios that developed ‘Halo Infinite’, have delayed the launch of the game to 2021. In an announcement on the official Twitter account of ‘Halo’ on Tuesday, August 11, Studio head Chris Lee said, “We have made the difficult decision to shift our release to 2021 to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a ‘Halo’ game experience that meets our vision.”

The statement further said, “The decision to shift our release is the result of multiple factors that have contributed to development challenges, including the ongoing COVID-related impacts affecting us all this year. I want to acknowledge the hard work from our team at 343 Industries, who have remained committed to making a great game and finding solutions to development challenges. However, it is not sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday.”

Lee further wrote, “We know this will be disappointing to many of you and we all share in that sentiment. The passion and support the community has shown over the years has been incredible and inspiring. We wanted nothing more than to play our game with the community this holiday. The extra time will let us finish the critical work necessary to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever at the quality we know our fans expect.”

‘Halo Infinite’ is the sixth mainline entry in the ‘Halo’ series. It was announced two years ago at E3 2018. On July 23, Microsoft gave fans the first look at what the ‘Halo Infinite’ gameplay looks like. While many fans were happy to finally feast their eyes upon the game, a lot of them seemed unconvinced about the game’s promised greatness. The graphics, arguably one of the most important aspects of video games, were seen as shoddy by many. At that time, Microsoft’s Xbox games marketing manager Aaron Greenberg said that ‘Halo Infinite’ was still a “work-in-progress”. 

Lee too weighed in on the criticisms and said then that players concerned about the graphics should watch the trailer in 4K, where the game is shown in its “full fidelity.” He added, “We have some polishing and tuning that the team is working on to really bring the full potential of the experience to our fans later this year.”

On Twitter, while many fans were sad that they wouldn't have the game for another year, many saw the delay as a good thing. IGN’s executive editor Ryan McCaffrey wrote, “Holy crap they actually DID have the guts to delay ‘Halo Infinite’! They'll take a LOT of crap for delaying ‘Halo Infinite’, but in the end, it's the right move. They cannot afford another potential ‘Halo 5’-like debacle.”

Another Twitter user wrote, “A rushed game is bad forever, a delayed game is eventually ‘Duke Nukem’ forever. Just think of this famous saying from Shigeru Miyamoto if you are sad about ‘Halo Infinite’ being delayed.”

Another wrote, “Delaying ‘Halo Infinite’ is the correct move, do not rush a game if it’s not ready. Does it hurt the Series X launch? Yes but worse would be rushing ‘Halo’ to make launch and doing permanent damage to the franchise. 343 please take your time and deliver a gem.”