The delay of Halo Infinite has led to massive amounts of speculation, in part due to fans of both Sony and Microsoft feeding the fires of the console wars, but also because of increased reporting regarding development issues within Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries. 343 largely remains quiet about these issues, but sometimes they're provoked to respond. Such is the case regarding a recent rumor that it was Halo Infinite's multiplayer that led to Halo Infinite's delay.
343's community director Brian Jarrard, who goes by the tag ske7ch, made the statement on Reddit. Jarrard took issue with a rumor shared on Thurrott that claimed Halo Infinite's multiplayer being was going to be delayed in 2021 while the single-player launched in 2020, a rumor that Thurrott claims was substantiated by Halo Infinite's overall delay and recent comments from Xbox boss Phil Spencer stating that shipping Halo Infinite in pieces was once considered. Jarrard calls these reports "100% false."
According to Jarrard, 343 never had plans to launch Halo Infinite's single-player campaign without the game's multiplayer. It was the opposite that was briefly considered, and that's what Spencer detailed in his recent interview. Spencer said it was briefly evaluated to see if separating multiplayer and the campaign was feasible. And briefly is the right word, as Spencer said at the time the decision was made over a single day. But it wasn't to separate multiplayer and launch single-player, it was to launch multiplayer and delay single-player.
In other words, as Jarrard makes clear, Thurrott's claim that multiplayer would not ship with Halo Infinite's launch was false. That the implication that Halo Infinite's multiplayer led to delay of the full game is also false, and really that 343 considered splitting the two at all was only a brief consideration that never went further. 343 and Microsoft have remained dedicated to launching both single-player and multiplayer together.
What's unsaid from Jarrard's comments, but is clear through omission, is that Halo Infinite's delay is seemingly due to the game's single-player campaign. The issues therein aren't obvious, however. The reaction to Halo Infinite's gameplay debut wasn't flattering, but a delay of this magnitude is certain to be due to a broad range of issues needing to be fixed. What's also unsaid is that it's perhaps best not to trust Thurrott's source on Halo Infinite, though Jarrard doesn't go so far in saying so.
Regardless of the rumors and speculation, Halo Infinite may have been delayed but it is still planned to ship as a single package. That's going to happen regardless of any development issues, regardless of whether Halo Infinite's multiplayer is free-to-play. Fans will just have to be patient.
Halo Infinite releases 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.