With the Halo Infinite's delay. 343 Industries' addition to the Halo franchise was originally set to drop with the launch of the Series X. Now the game is expected to release sometime in 2021, a massive delay in comparison to the game's original launch window. As one of the most highly anticipated titles on the next-gen console, Halo Infinite's postponed release is bound to impact the success of Xbox Series X's launch.
News of this delay was surprising to many, but had been anticipated by others. Earlier this year, Microsoft's Xbox chief Phil Spencer announced that delays may be inevitable. While the Xbox Series X console had quite a firm release in order to compete against the PlayStation 5's holiday release, games held a lot of uncertainty. Amidst the pandemic, big name studios like Bungie and Naughty Dog have had to delay their own titles. It's unfortunate that 343 Industries has postponed their biggest game only months before release.
It's unclear what exactly changed since the release of the game's demo to today's delay announcement. While successful Marvel's Spider-Man exclusive, Microsoft turned to Halo Infinite as its own flagship game.
Halo Infinite's Delay Could Spell Out Disaster For The Xbox Series X
The Xbox Games Showcase fell short in comparison to PlayStation's own reveal. While Sony highlighted it's console with AAA titles like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon: Forbidden West, Xbox lacked the same amount of flare. The title that brought the most attention to the Xbox Series X was Halo Infinite. Now, with the indefinite delay of the title, it's likely some players may reconsider their purchase of the console. This could be especially detrimental to Microsoft if consumers were still tied between the Series X and PS5. After all, some of the most highly anticipated titles are still set to launch alongside the PlayStation 5. It's likely some players will turn to the PS5 due to Halo Infinite's delays, giving Sony an early advantage over Microsoft.
Even with this unfortunate news, Microsoft is going in hard for the Xbox Series X's release. The console will still be launching alongside 50 new games and an additional 40 previously released, optimized titles. With a confirmed November launch window, Microsoft is showing they still have plans to introduce their next-gen console just in time for the holiday season. Plus, the additional year of time should provide ample room for 343 Industries to improve on Halo Infinite and without risking the quality of the title through crunch. While the game will not be launching alongside the Xbox Series X, it will likely come out better for it.
An exact release date for the Xbox Series X has not been provided. However, with November slowly creeping in, preorders will soon be opening which will all, but confirm the console's public launch. Halo Infinite's delay does not mean the game is never coming, Xbox fans will simply need to wait a little longer to play. That should not discourage players from the console given the many new and exciting titles that are still set to launch with the Xbox Series X.
