Perhaps the most anticipated video game of 2021 is Halo Infinite. Unfortunately, 343 Industries has already had to delay the release - resulting in the title missing the Xbox Series X|S launch window last November.
While it might seem like there's a lot of dependency on the next chapter in Xbox's most popular first-party series, according to the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, this is not the case. Speaking on the 500th episode of the IGN Unlocked podcast, Phil stamped out the idea that Master Chief's future was "riding" on the success of Infinite, especially after the reception of Halo 5: Guardians.
IGN: "How much is riding on Halo Infinite as far as the future of that franchise?"
Phil Spencer: "I don't think about it that way. The future of the franchise, I think Halo will be here 10 years from now. Is Infinite like the lynchpin of whether it survives that long? Absolutely not. The game has such a rabid fanbase and such a history and lore that it's just an IP that's going to be with us - we don't take that for granted, but I definitely believe that in my core that that's true."
Phil also noted how he didn't want to put teams in tough positions where they feel like something has to land or it's game over.
"...I never kind of want to put a team in a position where they feel like 'hey, this one's gotta land or who knows?'"
While it's not a surprise to hear Phil say Master Chief will still be here 10 years from now, it is at least nice to know Xbox Game Studios won't be putting the series on ice if 343's next chapter does not meet the expectations of Microsoft or the fans. That said, Spencer made sure to note that everyone at Microsoft and 343 is "so focused" on making Halo Infinite a game fans will be proud of, and he trusts the team and has confidence in what they're creating.
So, there you go - Phil has reassured us Halo will be here for years to come. Will you be checking out Infinite when it arrives later this year? Leave a comment down below.
[source youtu.be]
Comments 14
That was such a stupid question to ask.
I recon they will give the next entry to Bethesda, I'd software seems good for this
@UltimateOtaku91 That's an interesting idea to let them have a go.
The way they speak is as if Halo has had a load of stinkers put out by 343.
Halo 4 is at 87 on Metacirtic released in 2012.
Halo 5 is at 84 on Metacritic, released in 2015.
We've not had a Halo game for 6 years.
The hype is there.
The entry barrier for the game is the lowest there's ever been for the series.
I'm confident 343 can deliver an amazing multiplayer experience. It's just the campaign I hope they pull off, since we've seen little of it.
Looking forward to Infinite even though I thought 5 was pretty average it was still fun for a playthrough. I hope this soft reboot does the chief good.
@Clankzz @UltimateOtaku91 +1
I'm playing Halo 5 right now for the first time. I played Halo 4 back in December. I hated Halo 4 it so many problems and nearly all were related to the gameplay. I thought the story was good just not well explained. Now I'm playing Halo 5, the gameplay has been completely fixed. The story however is not good. 343 got the gameplay wrong in Halo 4 but the story right, in Halo 5 they got the gameplay right but the story wrong. Hopefully in Halo 6 they can get both right.
Its a franchise as much as CoD and Battlefield is just without the annual releases and much much better single player focus.
@Chaudy with the open world Halo 6 will be a much different Halo. Story will be a challenge so I hope they nail it too.
Hope they pull off AAA 90 plus campaign.
I don’t think since the original Halo campaign or maybe Reach have I been amazed by Halo.
Played them all but the latter ones just become out of routine as it was Halo.
If they have a average Halo campaign then not sure what Microsoft do with the next one.
Keep it with 343 or change studio, wonder what the collation could do.
Don't care about "story" in games and never will, what i do care about however is gameplay but that's just me.
Hopefully the campaign in Infinite will be of the quality of the earlier Halo games.
Looking forward to it.
Halo 5 sold around 10 million copies. Those aren't quite Nintendo first-party numbers, but that is still solid. To think Infinite is "make or break" would be absurd. Halo will be around for the foreseeable future.
On another note, I can't wait to jump into Halo Infinite multiplayer later this year. It's going to be awesome.
This was obvious that Halo wasn't in a "if this one fails franchise is dead " situation. Would have been nice to ask the same question about Gears of War though.
There is still a lot riding on Infinite, It needs to prove its value to the Halo hardcore community and also put halo on the map of shooter market again. Also be a console seller in an ideal world (this last one being irrelevant given how few consoles are produced anyway ).
I want you to review the personnel of 343 Industries. They seem to be looking at Halo as a political tool.
Tap here to load 14 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...