It's been almost four months since Halo Infinite was officially delayed from its initial release date alongside the Xbox Series X. News was relatively sparse from a public angle, but 343 Industries was quietly making some big changes in leadership to accommodate the additional development time ahead. Joseph Staten, veteran narrative designer on previous Halo entries, returned to supervise Halo Infinite's development as creative director. There haven't been any new trailers since the initial campaign gameplay reveal in July. However, through an extensive development update and Q&A, it was confirmed that Halo Infinite is finally landing on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC in Fall of 2021.
Already, even if it's still the smallest tease, it's clear a lot is beginning to change following the delay and additional development time for Halo Infinite. The most recent development update for Halo Infinite detailed updates on graphical refinements, as well as a few details on multiplayer progression and customization. In graphical fidelity alone, some of the new renders mark an impressive improvement in small-scale and contained environments. It's clear that the delay has been good for Halo Infinite on a technical level, but that's not the only reason why. It's clear Halo Infinite's delay has been very beneficial towards bringing a much more polished, next-gen Halo experience.
Huge Visual Fidelity Improvements
Back during the initial gameplay reveal of Halo Infinite, there was a lot of vocal commentary aimed at the game's graphical fidelity. While Halo Infinite's art style is meant to reflect the vibrancy of the original Halo: Combat Evolved's aesthetic, many felt the visual fidelity wasn't up to next-gen standards. Whether or not that was true, Halo Infinite's latest development update shows a marked improvement in the game's visual fidelity. They entire first portion of the development update was dedicated to "Art & Graphics," detailing improvements to the many lighting systems and texture rendering. The full Q&A goes in-depth with many of the game's artists and their work.
Halo Infinite's latest development update also showcased a number of in-engine renders of multiplayer Spartans and direct feed screenshots of multiplayer gameplay. While it's unclear at what stage of development these renders and screenshots have been taken, it's clear this new build of Halo Infinite has made quite a few improvements already. The lighting, shadows, and environmental design in particular show off some incredible refinements, focusing specifically on one of Halo Infinite's multiplayer maps. Not to mention the character art on the Spartan armor variations, featuring tons of miniscule detail work that makes these models look fantastic. 343 Industries seems to have taken the aforementioned graphical criticisms to heart, resulting in some pretty impressive artwork.
Narrative Refinements From Halo's Veteran Storyteller
There were also a few tidbits in the update from Joseph Staten, remarking on the "expansive" work put into Halo Infinite's campaign. Staten celebrated Halo Infinite's campaign in its entirety:
"My first week on the job, I played the entire Infinite campaign. Twice. I was, in a word, stunned - in the best way possible - by what the team had done."
Staten's done a variety of different jobs in the development of previous Halo video game entries, but he's most known for his work on the overarching series' narrative. To hear this praise already is a sign that Halo Infinite's story can only be better under his supervision. Considering this is the first non-linear gameplay experience for a Halo campaign, emphasizing the same elements of wonder and "excitement" from Halo: Combat Evolved is key to Halo Infinite's open world success.
Even if carrying on some of the loose story threads from Halo 5: Guardians and the spin-off Halo Wars 2 is an important aspect of the campaign, Halo Infinite is still meant to be a spiritual reboot for the franchise. Emphasizing and celebrating Halo in its purest form, while also continuing the positively ambitious story threads from recent entries, is the difficult balance that Halo Infinite needs to strike in order to revitalize the series. Staten's word should carry a lot of weight for hardcore fans, meaning this delay has only done well by Halo Infinite.
So Far, Halo Infinite's Delay Seems Very Beneficial
There's no hiding the fact that many Halo fans were initially disappointed by Halo Infinite's delay in August. However, many eventually responded positively to the delay, expressing a willingness to wait for a definitive next-gen Halo experience. The game's delay seems to be shepherding an even better next-gen Halo game, just based on this first development update alone. Not to mention there's more to come, as 343 Industries is "going to be sharing more about what we're doing" in the near future.
Until then, the fruits of 343 Industries' labor in the wake of Halo Infinite's delay is already pretty clear. Plus, placing it in the competitive "Fall 2021" launch window, among so many other likely candidates from competitors at Sony, it's clear 343 Industries is confident of what Halo Infinite has become. In the face of the game's delay, Halo Infinite may be a much better game by next Fall than it would have been had it launched alongside the Xbox Series X this year as originally planned.
Halo Infinite is planned to release in Fall 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.