Microsoft recently delayed Halo Infinite from its Holiday 2020 launch into 2021. It was huge move on their part, not just because this is the next big Halo game, but also because it was supposed to be the Xbox Series X’s flagship launch title. Not long after the announcement was made, a report was published by Brad Sams of Thurott, claiming that Halo Infinite’s development had been in crisis for a while, mentioning things such as extensive outsourcing, a disconnect between the developers and marketing, a misguided focus on the upcoming Halo Showtime TV show, and more as a few of many reasons that had proved to be stumbling blocks in the shooter’s development.
Now, 343 Industries have responded to several claims made in the report, and refuted quite a few of them. For starters, interestingly enough, 343 Industries community manager Brian Jarrard took to Twitter not long after the aforementioned report was published, implying that the claims in the report were inaccurate.
Around that same time, Jarrard also wrote a response on a Reddit thread about the report, specifically talking about the claims that Microsoft considered releasing Halo Infinite’s campaign before its multiplayer component (something that Jarrard himself had previously debunked as well). According to Jarrard, Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s recent comments that shipping Halo Infinite in parts was considered is not related to how it’s been presented in Sams’ report.
“Phil Spencer went on “Animal Talking” recently and while discussing the Infinite shift to 2021, did mention that separating MP and Campaign was briefly considered before the decision was made to shift it all to next year,” Jarrard wrote in his response on Reddit. “These are not the same things. At all.”
“Sams’ unsubstantiated “report” in late July was 100% false and no such plan or discussion had ever happened,” Jarrard continued. “Campaign was never going to ship without MP, period. More recently, as it became clear that the project needed more time, part of that assessment did entail trying to see if perhaps just MP could launch as planned but was deemed a non-starter. So even if that would’ve been the outcome, it’s the opposite of what was reported in late July.”
Finally, 343 Industries have also refuted the claims that the studio’s leadership was too focused on the upcoming Halo TV show for Showtime, which had negatively impacted Halo Infinite’s development. In a statement to IGN, a 343 Industries spokesperson said that the studio has a separate, dedicated team working on the TV series with its own leadership, and that it is completely separate from Halo Infinite’s development team.
“343 Industries has a devoted transmedia team that is working with Showtime on the creation and production of the Halo TV show,” 343 said in their statement. “This group is separate from the Halo Infinite development team. These are two completely independent projects with dedicated teams and leadership that do not impact one another.”
At this time, 343 Industries have not responded to claims that extensive outsourcing for Halo Infinite has led to development troubles for the game – including its visual downgrades – but given the contentions surrounding other claims made in the report, it’s best to tread cautiously with other content within it as well. We will keep you posted as this story develops, so stay tuned.
Halo Infinite will launch in 2021 for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. 343 Industries’ John Junyszek recently asked fans to “hold on tight” for more information on the game in the coming months.