Halo Infinite is having serious development issues, especially now that lead director Chris Lee has left the project.
Bloomberg was the first to report on Lee's departure. Lee said upon leaving:
“I have stepped back from Infinite and I am looking at future opportunities. I believe in the team and am confident they will deliver a great game and now is a good time for me to step away.”
Microsoft clarified that Lee is still an employee. Lee has been part of 343 Industries, developers of the Halo series, since 2008.
Originally slated to be released alongside the Xbox Series X, Halo Infinite is now delayed indefinitely. This news was disappointing, as fans have been waiting for the game since it was announced at E3 2018.
Apart from Lee's departure, many fans are worried about Halo Infinite's quality at launch. While 343 Industries successfully released their last two Halo games, development woes are always a sign of a bad product.
The fans have good reason to be worried, as the Halo Infinite presentation in last July's Xbox Game Showcase failed to impress. It seems like using a new game engine for the game made more harm than good.
The game is more or less content complete. They can fully focus on the technical aspects now. I absolutely do expect Halo Infinite to be released 2021.
— Klobrille (@klobrille) October 30, 2020
343 INDUSTRIES RESPOND TO RUMORS, ASSURES 2021 RELEASE DATE
Many Xbox Insiders still expect Halo Infinite to be released by 2021. Last September, 343 Industries community manager Brian Jarrard reiterated that there's still no set release date for the title. But 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross is reassuring fans that the game will be released by Fall 2021.
PSA: We haven’t locked on release date for Halo Infinite yet. Anything you see on a retail site is just placeholder / speculation.
— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) September 24, 2020
“2021 will be a big year for the Halo franchise. As we recently announced, Halo Infinite will release in fall of 2021. I realize the wait has been difficult, and I assure you that the team wants the game in your hands as soon as possible, but they also want to deliver something special…the Halo game you deserve. Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and most importantly your words of support to the team. I cannot express how grateful I am for the Halo community and the encouragement you’ve expressed to us. It has lifted us up and provided us the fuel to keep going. As you saw from the recent blog post, the team is making tremendous progress and is SO eager to show you more.” – Bonnie Ross, 343 Industries head.
The delay is more fact than speculation now. Lee's departure surely introduced new problems for the studio. We can only hope that the delay will be used productively. Hopefully, Halo Infinite is worth the wait.
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