Halo Infinite Developers Considered Delaying the Game Again

Speaking to these delays and the reasons why 343 opted not to push Halo Infinite back once again, the studio's creative lead, Joseph Staten, opened up about the conversations that have been had in recent months. "Yeah, I mean we talked about doing [delaying the game]. But where we landed is that Halo Infinite is a live game, so it isn't ever really "done."

[-Foxtrot]

"But where we landed is that Halo Infinite is a live game, so it isn't ever really "done."

And there's your excuse if it fails to live up to expectations or lacks features at launch...

[Jin_Sakai]

The game has been in development for 6 years and they still considered delaying the game again. On top of that it’s launching without Forge and the Co-op. 343i seem incapable of handling the Halo franchise.

[DarXyde]

I still think another delay would have been in the best interest of the game. Ideally, you want to give people the best first impression possible. I'm not sure if it's right to say they are incapable of handling the franchise. I suspect the scale of what they want to do is tripping them up. I would say that would hurt reviews, but I don't think Microsoft cares about reviews anymore on first party titles. It'll be on Game Pass, so there doesn't seem to be a risk. It feels like a monetization strategy, frankly. Release it in pieces/seasons so people stay subbed to GP. Kinda gross, but as long as Sony and Nintendo don't do the same, I don't care.

[SyntheticForm]

I've never liked a 343 Halo game. For me Halo peaked with Halo 2 which in my opinion had the perfect gun/grenade/melee formula with the BR/nades/and melee. Halo 3 was pure fun, though I thought the gun battles were just a smidge lesser than Halo 2's, probably due to the inclusion of other things.

So, Bungie all the way with Halo for me.

[TheLeapist]

@NeoGamer232 Jesus christ, does your dad work at 343? What on earth does ghost of tsushima have to do with Halo? Who mentioned microsoft or sony? Dear lord, the irony of you comment and you don't even see it.

[Livingthedream]

@Darx I don’t think it has anything to do with game pass. It’s been a long development cycle i imagine the cost has been significant and it’s way over due to release. I think the lack of coop is a big deal, but don’t care for forge. Would it benefit from a delay? Possibly, how long would it have to be delayed to add those features? I think that’s the real question, if it’s near a year, I’d rather have the game now.

[TheDoomedGuy]

@neogamer
Ghosts of Tsushima took as long as it did to create a whole new IP. An IP which may see future iterations. And a game that once released was met with awe and applause.
They added features afterwards that were never requested or expected.

Halo on the other hand is a long standing franchise will little to no innovation from one iteration to the next. It has the same playstyle, same enemies, lots of the same weapons and even samey environments. It's taken them 6 years to release a multiplayer a en single player campaign, of which the first showing was quite poor.

Good job comparing a completely new IP that was not even expected to impress with halo...

[Chevalier]

" I was simply pointing out that a very similar thing happened with Ghosts. 6 years of development, shipped without some key features that were added several months after the game shipped. Nobody was complaining then, but because it is Microsoft,, this is a international state of emergency, the sky is falling, and the world has come to an end as we know it."

No need to get mad at TheLeapist. Your comparison is just idiotic as pointed out multiple times. It doesn't make sense even. Ghost of Tsushima took 6 years because the IP is NEW and the team is literally 1/5 of 343s Halo team. Plus Suckerpunch not ONLY managed to complete the game, they also did free MP and expansion before Halo even releases. MP wasn't expected either.

[Sunny_D]

@neogamer

What a disingenuous comment to compare GOT to Halo. GOT didn’t take all 6 years to develop. Sucker Punch were developing a prior cancelled game before they started production on GOT. You can see the trailer for the cancelled game on YouTube. GOT was also released in full. No one was anticipating a multiplayer option. The game was sold as a single player story. The multiplayer was a bonus that surprised many people when it was announced. Not to mention , GOT is a brand new IP and it still released sooner than Halo Infinite. Halo has always been a single player game and multiplayer game. This is such a clown take.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It won't fail though...just because you want it too.

[-Foxtrot]

Why do people take shit so personal, I don't want it to fail, I'm just reacting to these silly comments from 343/Microsoft about Halo Infinite.

[The Wood]

Deflection. . .

If it fails its because its s#ite and people capp'd for it whilst sticking their heads in the sand not because of peoples wants. You should have more issue with those using 'it's on gp' as a pacifier for incomplete/ sub par games. Shout out to the actual halo fans who are voicing their issues with this game. Without them its easier for developers to ram gamers with zero lube

[Pickledpepper]

@Sully
You are correct, people dumb people do fall for marketing and pr, just like I did with
TLOU 2.

[UltraNova]

The Wood using the word lube...that's gold right there!

PS, agreed.

[phoenixwing]

While i own a gaming pc and therefore am required at the bare minimum to want microsoft to do well I agree with you foxtrot. This is just them letting people know they set the bar low for themselves. I mean it's on gamepass so what do you expect anyways? You can't have a cheap service and expect the highest of quality at every single step. They'll cut corners until game pass becomes profitable enough to sustain the quality.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Lol. I usually don't jump into things like this. But this is insane. 2 TRILLION dollar market cap. 500+ million dollars to create the game. Over 750 employees working on it. 6 years in the making with over a year delay. And they're going to release it half finished without content normally there for Halo.

Finish the fight? These guys can't even finish the job.

That 7.5 billion dollars buying Zenimax should have went into finishing this game. What's going on over there at 343? What's Microsoft doing? The incompetence.

[Aloymetal]

Now watch the game gets praised like the second coming of Jesus, especially here in the U.S. by the biased media. I can already see the titles of the reviews…
Can’t blame them though, that’s all MS gaming division have going for them, the PR, hype and promises. Nobody really cares about the brand and its games outside of the U.S. and maybe UK

[Sitdown]

Talk about short sighted.

[Chevalier]

Just look at the excuses flowing out. Like Neogamer in this very thread compares how Suckerpunch took 6 years and MP afterwards and no one complained. Uhhh.... Suckerpunch took 6 years with ONLY 160 people to create a NEW IP and added free MP later. Reason no one complained? MP wasn't expected and added for free.

But yeah let's make excuses for the studio that is 5x the size, $500 million budget and help from another huge AAA studio. The idiocy to even suggest the 2 scenarios between those 2 studios being the same in ANY way is disingenuous. It's probably good they came put and said all this, it's great to set that bar real low.

[fr0sty]

This is why you don't call your game something that has to do with a long amount of time... like Duke Nukem Forever.

[Fluttershy77]

no one's ever really gone

[-Hermit-]

What is going on with game development these days? I remember a few years ago devs were saying it's easier than ever to make games because these game engines are so much easier to work with compared to the past. So if this is the case, why are they buggy, lack content and take so much longer to develop?

[Christopher]

Mostly it's a lot of management issues with poor utilization of time, changing milestones, etc.

[CobraKai]

I gotta give him props. That’s one of the best bullsh*t excuses I’ve heard. 👏👏👏

[CrimsonWing69]

It’s kind of disturbing that’s the mentality they have with developing the game. At one point they decided to not rush out a project and now they say f*ck it, send it out as is and they’ll fix it post-launch.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Aww shit, this is going to be Duke Nukem and FF15 all over again, I know exactly how this is going to go down.

[ElvisHuxley]

Sea of Thieves all over again. Pay $60 for an unfinished game, and a few year later, you'll get your money's worth. I guess this is what they mean by GaaS. Eh, to each their own I guess.

[CaptainHenry916]

Like I said they would. I don't like the fact it's going to be a live service game😕

[WillyC009]

Should have delayed it. It’s incomplete and missing standard features. Seems like a no brainer.

[Christopher]

It's got the most standard features, which are MP and SP. It's the extras it's known for, co-op and forge (typically not at release as it is) that are delayed.

I do think this game has had some issues in development, but I can't say right now that it's bad enough that they wouldn't deliver on the SP and MP they're known for.

[OhReginald]

They should definently delay the game again.

[DJStotty]

Why? the game does not need to be delayed, the only thing pushed back is forge mode, and campaign co-op will not be available at launch.

The SP campaign, and the MP are finished, done, and will be ready for launch.

No reason to delay an entire game, because a feature is not finished.

[PhillyDillyDee]

I seem to recall this excuse for Battlefield V. Look how that one ended up.

[DJStotty]

What does this have to do with BF5?

The article and discussion is about how 343i threw around the table the question of whether they should delay again Halo Infinite, due to co-op campaign, and forge mode not being ready in time for launch.

They decided to delay the features, as opposed to the game, it's right there in the article!!

[Godmars290]

What's going to be the reaction if Infinite comes in under par in terms of graphics let alone gameplay?

How can MS justify their continued existence as a game maker while repeatedly not living up to expectation? How have they gotten away with it for so long?

[darkrider]

The problem is that 343 is not able to handle a franchise like this one

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Have you seen the reviews on the technical over on YT? Graphics are not an issue.

[Lightning77]

Your talkin about a game that's also on X1. I dunno why everyone continues to overlook that.

[Godmars290]

Because MS talks up cross-play between their systems as if its not going to effect quality, while push the Series X as their end all be al system.

[TheDoomedGuy]

Believe me...it's not being overlooked...hence why the expectation of not so great a looking game.

[Darkborn]

Their fans not holding them accountable is the problem. It's the same with Activision on call of duty and Ubisoft with their franchises, although they are slightly tweaking them now to overcome the sameness they were plagued by.

[darkrider]

The budget of this game is at what? Because 5 years ago it was 500 millions a year later means how much? Now we understand the lack of any trailer at e3...

[Zhipp]

The $500mil claim is unsubstantiated. I dunno why everyone goes around parroting that number like it's been confirmed at all.

[TheDoomedGuy]

I believe 500million was halo 5 guardians....may be wrong but one would think it would be the same or higher for infinite.

[Zhipp]

Halo 5 was no where near 500mil. Red dead 2 was rumored to be about $350 million, and that was considered the most expensive game of all time. Even that number was unconfirmed, though, as game budgets are almost never disclosed. The only confirmed "budget" we can talk about is star citizen.

[Destiny1080]

there's no way, their delaying the purchase of microtransactions again, i hope every xbox gamer is ready to turn their master chief into a multicolored unicorn to save the franchise

[Popsicle]

They should release it when the product is complete. I am tired on half baked releases.

[Snakeeater25]

Well in no way a delay mean the game will be ready and good when it come out

… cyberpunk

[Popsicle]

Similarly to Halo Infinite since Cyberpunk was already delayed they didn’t feel like they could delay it any further. I bet CD Project Red is regretting not delaying the game further to ensure it was ready.

Also my comment wasn’t about making sure the game is good. I said they should release the game when it is complete. I am growing tired of games being released incomplete or missing intended features.

[Darkborn]

Phil Spencer already made comments that didn't sound very confident. I'm guessing this is gonna be a bad train wreck of a launch.

[JonTheGod]

What did he say? I've not been following closely.

[Darkborn]

He said something like how this game won't make or break Xbox and that no matter what Xbox will live on without halo in the future. And he said the launch might be Rocky, but because it's live service it will improve. Essentially he doesn't have confidence in it right now, almost a year after it was supposed to be launched.

[nommers]

That craig pic says it all

[GrmpyolGamer]

If it's not finished then best to delay it

[DJStotty]

It is finished though, 2 features are note, that is why they won't be available at launch.

[GrmpyolGamer]

Is it finished if it has no Co op campaign?

[Father__Merrin]

I would delay it for a summer 2021 blockbuster title

[iplay1up2]

Well, that I not good. I just want a great campaign. I guess if it gets delayed again, this Holiday is going to be mostly 3rd party major games again. Yes I am looking forward to Horizon 5, but was hoping this would be out too. Guess I am going to have to look harder for a PS5 again.

[Petebloodyonion]

If 343 releases the game buggy or broken (like No man Sky and Cyberpunk 2077) then totally should get the blame and should be called upon. If the case then shames on you 343.

But if the game is released but is missing no keys features that are in other 70$ and the devs mentioned that they would still add them then yes I agree with them.

Now I don't recall the hate for how Overwatch was released on day 1 with still no single-player mode
was GTA5 multiplayer mode available at launch despite the huge cost of the game
TLOU2 promised multiplayer mode?
Red Dead Redemption 2 multiplayer mode?

Now, how about we see the final product before saying it's trash because for 70$ there's not a lot of AAA from Sony and Nintendo that focus on bringing a multiplayer and a single-player experience.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Whataboutism and excuses. Are you really trying to excuse a 2 TRILLION dollar company? Really?

Then, talk about $70 games that have nothing to do with management incompetence. Other companies like Rockstar would have taken that 500+ million rumored development money and made a great game. No wait. They have. RDR2 and GTA 5.

No one is saying the game is trash. They are criticizing game development of Microsoft's flagship title that's being pushed as a live service game because it is possibly getting released unfinished.

I thought Microsoft was a software company. I thought they had all this money to throw around. I thought they could buy anybody.

You're making excuses. Worse than 343 is by saying game pass will allow them time to finish. Can't you see Craig's face above? He's mad!

[Petebloodyonion]

1) I don't recall saying something about Gamepass nor did 343 said something about it

2) They mentioned that Halo infinite is a live game OMG!!!!!! Noooooooo not a game like Halo MCCC that tons of ppl are still playing after all these years (on console and OC) and that is still supported by the devs or like Halo 5 that is still played today.

3) Forge wasn't available at launch for halo 5.

4) And last but not least, Why do you care about how much money MS is spending and how? Is it your money? Are they charging you more?
Because last I check the game was still 70$.
And right now please name the several PlayStation 5 titles or Switch titles that got released in the last couple years with a single-player and a robust multiplayer game
So for me, that's = value and it seems the several PC players that are still playing Halo MCC on Steam (cause it's still in the top games being played) must be thinking the same since they actually bought the game instead of playing on Gamepass.

[MrBeatdown]

I like that you compared a Halo campaign to GTA5, Red Dead Redemption, and The Last of Us 2.

Those campaigns have dozens, if not over 100 hours of single player content. And Rockstar added multiplayer... open world multiplayer... after what, a month?

Enjoy paying $60 for a six to ten hour campaign and promises.

[Petebloodyonion]

" Enjoy paying $60 for a six to ten hour campaign and promises."
Glad that you know the length of the Halo infinite campaign please share your source with us :)

[MrBeatdown]

Source?

Every other Halo, doofus.

[FGHFGHFGH]

Here's the top 100 games on steam, there's no halo on there. Sea of Thieves and Forza are on the list though.

https://store.steampowered....

HALO is a joke on pc because of the ridiculous aim assist + magneto bullets

[Petebloodyonion]

You do know that the stats link is dynamics right? comeback at night instead of 6 am in the morning and you will see a different picture.
Currently, the game at 4 pm ET is on the top 100 list, (it's 97 before Slay the Spire)
There are 7,445 ppl at the moment (steam players only) and the peak today was 11,696.
The point is: the game is still popular
And your comment about aim assist isn't relevant regarding if ppl enjoy the game or not.

[ApocalypseShadow]

They don't have to mention game pass. All Microsoft titles release on game pass. I thought you knew.

A live service game that's missing features at launch, that gets updated seasonally, means they are releasing an unfinished game on game pass to allow them time to finish what they seem to not be able to finish.

Follow along. It's not too hard to grasp. All the time and money can't seem to hide the mismanagement of Microsoft's flagship title.

[Petebloodyonion]

From the wise mouth of Apocalypse Shadow
"You're making excuses. Worse than 343 is by saying game pass will allow them time to finish."
and now
"They don't have to mention game pass."

Again it's clear that your hate for Microsoft will drive your point of everything they do will be bad so
let me ask this: If adding a Coop or Forge mode at later date is so bad ( modes that are absent from all major AAA Playstation titles I might add) that you need to tell in every Halo news section of N4g How Microsoft Spent 500 million$ and can't do the job properly then how come I heard 0 (blip/Nada/nothing) complaint from you regarding PS5 console not launching with the ability to change the SSD or just transferring game on a standard HD?
Wasn't that a big feature expected on the console and a selling point vs Microsoft costly priority solution that was available day 1?

Psnow I presume?

[Orchard]

Glad they chose not to delay - I am pumped to play this later this year. This and Psychonauts will likely be my two GOTY.

[BrainSyphoned]

Flight Sim coming in third or last by the number of participants.

[Orchard]

My third is probably Ratchet.

I don’t think Flight Sim would even be in my top 5 to be honest - it’s a pretty game to look at but I don’t really have the patience or excitement for simulators.

[SCW1982]

The writing is on the wall. I feel like the campaign is going to be in big trouble.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Should've delayed it again for the co-op campaign.

[Mustakrakish]

Please don’t release half baked bullshit and just delay if necessary.

[gamer7804]

The game for about a third of its audience is basically delayed…

[anast]

This game is going to suck.

[gamer7804]

3-6 months after release it we will find out!

[metalgod88]

Lol why not just push it back until they think it's 'done'. I mean, people waited over 5 years for this. What's another year or two?

[talocaca]

Yikes....at least it will be free for GamePass users. Not sounding like this is a $60 release at launch 🤔

[SprigganN4G]

Microsoft, please, just buy Bungie again and bring back the old HALO, and keep 343i for assist development for other studios.

[DJStotty]

Yeah because Bungie did great with their Destiny 2 model of having to buy the entire game again each DLC release right?

[Good-Smurf]

Live game so it isn't ever really "Done" so they just admit that at the end the game will still feel unfinished.
Games can't even allow to died anymore be it happy or sad ending it will just stuck in limbo of being in service title forever...
So I was bang on earlier about this, they really just don't cared enough and would rather slack and call it GaaS title after 6 years.
They can still do the right thing here and delay it but then MS will lose face by not having a single big title a year after launch.

[DJStotty]

Why do they need to delay when the campaign and MP is more or less done and ready for launch?

[PS-Gamer-1986]

Thanks to gamepass people are stoked to pay monthly to play alpha and beta builds of xbox games , DAY ONE! GG Microsoft!

[plmkoh]

Pretty much confirmed my thoughts that subscription models distort game development.

[Gaming4Life1981]

343i has failed with no campaign co op and then charging for campaign only cause the mp is free.

[ZwVw]

This will be 343's undoing. Splitting resources and personnel working on MCC for PC as opposed to focusing solely on Infinite, has ended up biting them in the @ss.
Horribly managed studio.

[MocBistro]

How about delay it indefinitely because no one gives a sh

[glennhkboy]

In the same time period, Playground has 2 Forza Horizon (4 & the up-coming 5) made. So that IS a grief concern over the 343 team. Is Halo now too big for its own good (campaign + co-op campaign + multiplayer + Forge)?

[lellkay]

Yuk

[jBlakeeper]

It’s a good thing it’s on GamePass because I wouldn’t want anyone paying full price for a live service game. I have a feeling this game won’t turn out well at all.

[TheEnigma313]

Amazing

[EvertonFC]

I personally think most will keep playing fortnite anyway, nothing can dethrone that game as of yet.
Youngsters and teenagers won't bother with halo, it's only the original xbox and 360 owners who were big fans who will be interested and there in 30/40s age group now who have either moved on from gaming or less time with families etc.

[DJStotty]

Pure clickbait at it's finest :-

"Developers at 343 Industries, which is the studio behind the upcoming release of Halo Infinite, have revealed that another delay for the game was considered at one point."

So the "one point" could have been 6 months ago, this does not even deserve to take up data on a server this article.

The basis of this article, is simply that they have opted to push back campaign co-op, and forge mode to later seasons, rather than delay the entire game just for these features.

In essence, a nothing article, here's looking forward to Halo Infinite's launch come November!!

[Einhander1971]

Cancel it altogether for me, one big boring experience is Halo.

[CptDville]

I really they are not targeting the same quality we got with Crackdown 3 and Scalebound.

[kainslayer]

Finally 343 destroyed halo have fun at Xbox with unfinished game pass fodder.,..ydwd

[XiNatsuDragnel]

You should do it in my opinion.

[KINGS47]

Ya Know, I love Halo & I'm sure this one will actually be it's defined comeback but damn do i miss Bungie...

[thesoftware730]

Who gives a shit?

I cant wait to play this, I'm hoping the campaign is great. That is what matters most, I'm not sure what the uproar is all about, no co-op and forge at launch? but we know its coming, its far from the only game that adds things after launch, what if the campaign is super good? will that be bad and still such a big deal? We already know the multiplayer is fun and free.

Anyway, I hope they show us some of the actual campaign tomorrow,,cant wait.

[HankHill]

i wish Bungie were still the Halo developers.

[moriarty1889]

by it being a live game is he implying it is like Destiny? meaning it is only playable in an online state? hope not. that crap needs to die off completely imo.

[Viljong]

Microsoft dropped the ball since xbox one. They cant create anything exiting. They spent 8 billion so playstation gamers cant play future bethesda games. That is how bad the situation is. Microsoft have nothing to offer. They love loot box games and old multiplatforms, becouse they dont have any expertise creating triple A singleplayer games.

[Rimeskeem]

At this point, I think I'm just gonna skip until the game is actually finished. I will play MP with friends but I am not spending money on 1/3rd of a game. Forge and Coop missing for this franchise is basically not even Halo at this point.

[Kuma]

Kuma says all of this baloney is why we switched to a PS5.

[moriarty1889]

Kuma is a smart man.

[gold_drake]

if you have to consider in the first place, it might be better to do it.
but now, we get a game without some features. yay.

[Vithar]

ooof that's a shitty thing to say....let's ship unfinished game and patch....cyberpunk thought the same

[caliman87]

Bring us the multiplayer thise other things can wait

[MADGameR]

I'm sorry but if you have over 600+ employees in your studio and you've been working on X Box's ''biggest game'' for over 5 years and still don't have it ready, then you've got lazy developers caking off MS.

[moriarty1889]

exactly. these people are clueless.

[Snakeeater25]

Will it be free on game pass when it come out in 2023?

[Tzuno]

DoA

[sonic1989]

Hi everyone, Hope everyone is managing with the pandemic. Its been awhile since I logged in but have been visiting this site regularly.

Is this game any good? I know it used to be popular during the 0s360 era, I've only been gaming on PlayStation so never owned an Xbox before, however, i am planning to get series x when they release a slim/2tb model. Ps5 would be my primary gaming console till then.