Halo Infinite developer "talked about" delaying the game again

Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries reportedly considered delaying the game a second time.

Speaking in the latest Halo Infinite development update, creative lead Joseph Staten was asked whether, given the recently-announced delays to campaign co-op and Forge, the team had considered delaying the game again to ensure those features could be included.

In response, Staten said "Yeah, I mean we talked about doing that. But where we landed is that Halo Infinite is a live game, so it isn't ever really 'done'. It's going to progress and evolve from season to season. We talk about launch being the beginning of that journey, but to have a beginning, you need to pick a moment and actually begin."

Halo Infinite was originally set to release last year, but a lengthy delay has already pushed that launch back by almost a year. In the wake of the delayed features, however, some fans have been calling for 343 to delay the title ensure they can be included at launch, but Staten says the studio decided against that approach. "Ultimately, we decided that we've been working on this game for a really long time. Our fans have been waiting on this game for a really long time. With solo campaign and our first season of free-to-play multiplayer in really good shape for holiday, we didn't want to delay anymore."

Staten reiterated that while the Halo Infinite release date hasn't been confirmed yet, the team is "100% committed to releasing this holiday season." In the course of the development update, community director Brian Jarrad said that 343 would be ready to announce that date "very soon," which could mean a reveal at this evening's Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase.

For more of what's on the way, here are some upcoming Xbox Series X games.