Halo Infinite looks massive. Based on the trailer and showcase at E3 this year, the name for the newest Halo game will fit well. With a campaign that is being described as epic and free-to-play multiplayer, it looks like Halo Infinite will dominate the holiday season this winter. The only concern that the game seemed to generate was its inconclusive release date, with a projected window for the Holiday Season 2021.
While the Halo Infinite showcase had a lot, there was no concrete release date mentioned for the game. With a general window for the holidays still, it can very well release in early November, but there is a wide stretch of time that could see the game’s release. The announcement of Starfield's release date for November 11, 2022, makes this oddity stand out even more. With how much the world has changed over the past year, it is understandable to have a flexible window, but with how big of a game Halo Infinite is, it could generate some mixed emotions among fans.
A flexible release date like Holiday 2021 does a couple of things for the title though. Without a concrete release date, there is some leeway on when fans will expect Halo Infinite. For the games industry, a holiday release can generally mean anytime at the beginning of November to mid-December. This provides for about a month and a half of flexibility. To some, that may not seem like much, but it can help with finetuning things within a game and extra playtesting. Keeping it loose will allow Microsoft to compete with Horizon Forbidden West's holiday release, as well as anything else coming later this year.
Halo Console Edition and the Holidays
The Holiday 2021 window also allows for some significant drop possibilities and bundles for the Halo Infinite. The Halo series has been a mainstay for Xbox consoles for over two decades now, so with a holiday release date, a bundled Xbox Series X/S package that includes Halo Infinite could make a great gift option. The holiday season involves a lot of gift-giving and video games have continued to increase in popularity as gifts. With a console edition of Halo Infinite, the Xbox Series X/S could dominate the market this winter with little competition.
Last year saw the release of the new generation of consoles in this similar holiday window, and this year could be a great time to begin rolling out some special edition consoles. With the high demand that the newer generation of consoles has, both Xbox Series X/S and PS5s will likely fly off the shelves around the holidays. Increased console sales coupled with the increased demand for the holidays could ramp up the overall performance for Halo Infinite’s release sales. Even though fans are excited about the game and to play as Master Chief, games still need to make money so the holiday window makes sense.
The Halo series has also released impressive collector’s editions and console editions in the past, so while a concrete release date would be cool now, it's possible that Microsoft is still planning how to really make its arrival a big deal. Just because the game has a release window obviously does not mean it is gold yet, so there could be additional plans for special editions like Dying Light 2 is getting. The time frame between now and release also allows for the game to build up some more hype and deliver teasers and trailers between now and its release. Unfortunately, that is what will have to hold people over until the holidays, but if they are anything like the E3 videos, then they will be almost as exciting as Halo Infinite itself.
Halo Infinite is in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and launches this holiday 2021.