Halo Infinite’s Delay Will Hurt and Help
The response to Halo Infinite’s full gameplay reveal during the July Xbox Games Showcase was brutal, to put it lightly. The gaming types who get a bit too hyped for next-generation consoles tend to expect the world from graphics power in future platforms, which this game won’t deliver for a few reasons. This is a cross-generation game that will also be available on Xbox One, like every Xbox game for at least the next two years. Graphically-impressive launch and launch window games are the exception, not the norm. Lastly, anyone expecting big graphical leaps overall for the next console generation is in for a very rude awakening, or they’re willingly setting themselves up for disappointment.
The merely-okay graphics (their opinion, not mine) were enough to make a meme out of one brute character model that didn’t emote enough, who the internet named Craig. Developer 343 Industries and Xbox Game Studios embraced it, since memes can be a good marketing tool.
On the other hand, I can’t imagine the feeling of being a developer who slaved away working on a game only to realize that parts of it are being mocked on social media and message boards. There’s a possibility that the poor developers might have secretly felt embarrassed by it, and that Microsoft feared for its impending reception. It helps explain why they chose to delay Halo Infinite until sometime in 2021. It’s a hell of a risk, because it will put the Series X and soon-to-be-revealed Xbox Series S in a tight spot early on.
Infinite was the flagship game planned to launch alongside the system, one they confirmed will definitively launch in November yesterday, before anyone asked if it was delayed too. (Whether the Series S will come with it is another question.) The delay means Microsoft will have to rely on Gears Tactics, cross-generation third-party games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Dirt 5, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, smaller and indie games like The Medium and Scorn, and a bunch of backwards-compatible games through stores and Xbox Game Pass. That’s a little rough compared to the PlayStation 5, which will have the exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales with its launch. Sure, that won’t be a full-on sequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man, but should offer a rewarding-enough quest for a launch title. (Not to say there isn’t a chance that could be delayed to, but there’s a good chance it won’t.)
It’s possible the Series X/S may not need a strong launch lineup, however. Think of the number of consoles that arrived with lackluster launch lineups. The PlayStation 2’s couldn’t have been more uninspiring, and the DS and 3DS fared even worse. But all those systems went on to receive great software lineups and were successful. Meanwhile, the Dreamcast had an excellent launch lineup but didn’t take off, because we live in a dark timeline. Launches don’t make or break a system.
In fact, that especially won’t be the case for the XSX/S. 2020 has been a weird and hellacious year thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been tough for manufacturing warehouses around the world to handle it, and there may not be many systems to go around early on because of that. If so, it won’t matter if the systems aren’t accompanied by a great launch lineup if they can’t keep the hardware on shelves thanks to early adopters and scalpers. Even if there are more PS5s to go around compared to XSX/S systems at launch, its advantage won’t be insurmountable so quickly.
This could work out. By the time Microsoft has an adequate amount of systems on shelves, Infinite could be available alongside them — could. They didn’t say precisely when it’s planned for release in 2021, which will depend on how smoothly the development process goes from here. Rumors have surfaced since the delay announcement was made saying that Microsoft had all hands on deck to ensure that this would make launch, and brought on other teams to help. There’s a reason why the last Xbox showcase was full of CG trailers for Microsoft-published games. Now, they’ll all have a little more time. And that’s not even getting into the hitches they’ve run into thanks to the pandemic.
That said, some people should take this time to lower their expectations for what the final game will look like, one big reason for the initial venomous reaction to the gameplay. The innovation for next-gen consoles will primarily happen through game performances, like improved loading times thanks to solid-state drives and better framerates, and not graphics. Also don’t expect Microsoft to do anything as drastic as cancelling the XB1 version so the final game can get the most out of the XSX/S’s power. There’s a big audience that won’t move to next-gen consoles early on, and its sales on XB1 won’t be anything to laugh at.
Make no mistake that Microsoft would have rather had Halo Infinite available at the XSX/S’ launch, because this delay puts them in a minor bind. But they’ll overcome it, and the game itself will only benefit from the extra time all the developers will have to work on it. Craig is here to stay, though.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
