One of the biggest surprises during E3 was the lack of a release date for Halo Infinite. Many, including us, had it on our bingo cards as a sure fire win for the showcase. Alas, it didn't happen, but according to Xbox head Phil Spencer the team is feeling good about its holiday release and is aligning it with other video game timings.
In a recent interview with Dropped Frames, Spencer was probed about Halo Infinite and its release date. Lucky for fans, the team has a 3-4 week window prepped for when they will release the game, but "there’s some other things with some other game timings that [it's] trying to look at."
“For us, we know kind of our range in the 3-4 week range. We don’t have yet the exact day, there’s some other things with some other game timing that we’re trying to look at. We’ll have better clarity over the summer. But this isn’t a months thing, this is just down to a few weeks.”
With heavy multiplayer hitters such as Battlefield 2042 and the next Call of Duty arriving this Holiday, the reasoning most likely relates to wedging itself in between the two. While we know Battlefield 2042's release date, Call of Duty is still yet to be revealed, possibly adding some trepidation for the team.
Spencer added that moving Halo Infinite's release date once again at this point "would feel like a fail". Instead the plan is to wait until the team is ready, and he says they are "very committed" to that Holiday window.
“Instead of picking this date and having to move it by a week, which at this point would feel like a fail, like we don’t want to do that, let’s wait until we’re really solid on what the date is. But the team is very committed to holiday. We feel good about that.”
It wasn't all Halo Infinite that Spencer spoke about, as he also delved into how he views the future of Killer Instinct - which may please a few fans. However, for those hungry for more Halo Infinite in their lives, flighting for the game is expected to start later this summer, so you may be able to get a taste of the game before anyone else. Be sure to register as a Halo Insider in advance to be eligible for entry and avoid disappointment!
Are you happy to wait a little longer for the Halo Infinite date? Let us know in the comments below.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 15
You know what, with what is coming out this winter period etc.
Give it more polish especially campaign and stick a definite March 2022.
The only months that are light for Game Pass and Xbox are September and December.
So I think realistically, they might go with early December to avoid Call of Duty, which will probably be mid to late November.
I have the feeling this wil be an april or summer release. Maybe they can drop the SP and Multiplayer separately. Maybe de MP in December and de Single player in the summer of 2022.
Seeing the game still not having a firm release date, I wonder how the state of the game looks like if it was release alongside the launch of the Series X|S.
@sqxrz They are waiting for Call of Duty’s release date as Phil has indicated.
@Senua this if anyone reads this it is pretty clear they don't wanna drop it same week as call of duty.
But anyone thinking 2022 that isn't accurate he said they are down to a 3 week or so peroid to release in
Just release it next year. No need to rush it.
I don’t think the issue is it needs “more work”.
I’ve heard this years CODs having some issues. I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t locked a date down for COD this year.
Like some have said, this doesn't sound like "we don't know if the game will be ready in time", this sounds like "the marketing team is deciding the right week around competing products to make the biggest holiday impact."
You know....the Sony Maneuver.
@Ocat Why in the world would they do that?
@mousieone
Actually if the campaign nails it l, it could be this year’s campaign shooter to have.
Battlefield, no campaign
COD, not sure normally short.
@NEStalgia
Yep. For me, it's all about the marketing and also the financial implications of being a platform holder.
By that, I mean they will get 30% of any digital sales or MTX of the new COD being a platform holder, so why drop a F2P Halo multiplayer the same week, and potentially lower sales for COD on Xbox?
Like Phil Spencer said, they have a 3-4 week window, they just need to know the COD release date and plan around that.
@blinx01 Absolutely. Plus the other big one is this is the big Game Pass promo title for the holiday. They need to tie it to any big marketing push they have for selling Game Pass at the holidays, and any other product/co-marketing plans they have like Red Bull and Taco Bell last year.
There's actually a lot of marketing connections this game's launch needs to be tightly planned with, both within MS, with other games, and I'm sure third party non-game promotions.
@Senua What I meant was how would it look like if they stuck to their originally planned release date to coincide with the launch of the Series X & S.
Dude kills me sometimes. I love his enthusiasm for gaming and I appreciate that Xbox is a little more consumer friendly, whatever their motive for it is but he is so non-committal and vague far too often.
Like dude, if the game was really going to come out last year before the reveal caused drama, and you're just now getting around to bug fixes and you aren't 100% sure it will release this year and you just feel good about it, what's going on here haha.
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