Why Halo Infinite Fans Should Be Happy It Was Delayed
Fans felt real frustration when Microsoft and 343 Industries' announced the delay of "Halo Infinite" by a year. It came after premiering the first look at the title's gameplay to the world. Almost immediately, fans took to Twitter to decry the demo's graphics, comparing the look of it to previous entries. For some gamers, they'd already been waiting over five years for a follow-up; for others, "Halo Infinite" represented a chance to fall in love with the series again after the divisive games following the split between Bungie and Microsoft. However, it looks like the delay may have actually been a blessing in disguise. 343 Industries has had time to polish and course-correct on elements of "Halo Infinite" that have worried fans, and its been done with some unexpected assistance.
Perhaps the most significant catalyst during the delay was a returning "Halo" alumni. According to the Washington Post, after original "Halo" series writer Joseph Staten saw players' initial response to the first "Halo Infinite" gameplay demo, he offered to lend a hand. Since joining the dev team, Staten has helped steer the campaign's narrative and gameplay in a stronger direction, as well as helped ensure that "Halo Infinite" will run well, regardless of hardware. All in all, fans should be happy "Halo Infinite" was delayed; it's apparently led to a much better game.
How has Halo Infinite changed since its delay?
Staten has put efforts into helping recapture the original feel of the series that fans fell in love with. For one, Staten was disappointed when he noticed the new game's open world didn't offer many opportunities to fight alongside random Marines, which Master Chief was seen doing in previous games. He's since ensured that they're scattered across the map, ready to team up with the Chief. In a similar vein, Staten told the Washington Post, "We wanted to make sure that the boss fights that we had in the game were really, really impactful," acknowledging that they'd been a weak point in a few previous entries.
Not only has 343 Industries apparently reclaimed some of that original "Halo" charm with Staten's help, it's also been able to make the game accessible to as many players as possible. Acknowledging that many won't be able to enjoy the game on a new Xbox Series X (due to a combination of shortages and scalpers), Staten said, "I'm looking at my desk and I've got an Xbox One dev kit and a low spec PC. That's how I play because I want to put myself in the customer's shoes." To that end, the dev team has worked to optimize the game for all platforms. From making the game feel and play better to ensuring fans can actually play it, the "Halo Infinite" delay has seemingly only helped the title.