For Xbox fans looking forward to the release of Halo Infinite on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC, 2020 has been a truly wild year. In July the game was finally revealed to a divisive reception, which prompted a delay months later. Now, the game is without a release date and more development leads are leaving the project. According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, however, Halo fans don’t need to worry about the latest development lead to say goodbye.
Last month, it was revealed that Halo Infinite‘s project director, Chris Lee, was leaving 343 Industries and the game behind. Without any context, this isn’t very alarming, but it wasn’t the first or even second project lead to leave the project mid-development. Combine this with a delay, and a narrative about Halo Infinite’s troubled development, which already existed thanks to rumors and how long the game has been in development, really took off.
Videos by ComicBook.com
That said, speaking to GameSpot, Spencer suggested this change was months in the making. Furthermore, Spencer feels good about the team at 343 Industries and has no “specific concern” about the studio. In fact, Spencer notes that he thinks turnover is healthy because the result is a team comprised of those really motivated to be working on what they are working on.
“Sometimes what hits the press, or when certain things get announced internally, have actually happened months before. So I really have a lot of faith in Bonnie [Ross] and the team there having Joe and Pierre join, which they did late in the summer. I feel good about where we are on that team. I don’t have any specific concern about 343. I actually think in the long run, turnover is a healthy thing because we want people who are really motivated by the things that they’re working on.”
For many Xbox fans, this is great news. While it’s clear Halo Infinite’s development has not gone to plan — evident by its delay — it sounds like the narrative about it being in development hell aren’t exactly indicative of the situation.
Halo Infinite is in development for Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC. At the moment of publishing, there’s been no word of a release date. All we know is that Halo fans will need to wait until at least 2021 to see if there’s truth to Spencer’s comment or if it’s just PR spin.
