According to a source at 343 Industries, the mixed reception to Halo 5: Guardians delayed the release of Halo Infinite considerably. The studio, which took control of the Halo franchise from Bungie when Destiny was on the horizon, has had a rough time continuing on the narrative of Master Chief. Halo 3 was deliberately left in a place where things could change considerably, but 343 Industries brought a lot of things back to the status quo for Halo 4. The narrative changes they did make in Halo 5: Guardians were poorly received by just about everyone, even as they tried to bring in characters fans knew from past tie-in novels and other corners of the universe.
Besides an unwelcome focus on the new character Spartan Locke, the split narrative seemed like a cinematic universe-style table setting than an actual adventure. This culminated with the controversial ending to Halo 5: Guardians' campaign, which (Spoilers Ahead!) set up a rampant Cortana as the main enemy of the next game. Rampancy is the Bungie concept where AI constructs go insane after seven years in operation, and Cortana's years with the Master Chief had apparently given her ambitions beyond anyone's imagining. Considering that, among other things, the main crux of several fan-favorite Halo storylines is to save Cortana, the heel turn didn't hit with the effect 343 Industries intended.
Speaking with games writer/influencer Alanah Pearce following the Xbox Games Showcase, Chris Lee and Paul Crocker disclosed more information about Halo Infinite and how it builds off of the rocky reception to some of Halo 5: Guardians. During her official discussions, she got tidbits like the fact that Brutes can throw Grunts towards attacking players and that the game could take place on worlds beyond the Zeta Halo ring Chief finds himself on at the beginning of the adventure.
However, an unnamed 343 Industries source speaking off the record to Alanah dropped one more bit of information, namely that Halo Infinite was completely reworked and delayed because of the fan's poor reception to the way the story was moving in Halo 5: Guardians. In fact, Xbox owners likely would have already been playing Halo Infinite if not for the delay, but it likely would have been some sort of continuation rather than the "spiritual reboot" we're now getting. Does this mean that the storyline with Cortana is being dropped in favor of Halo Wars 2 villain Atriox? Or will the story come back around as Master Chief defeats the Brute Chieftan?
While many saw yesterday's Halo Infinite campaign presentation as less than ideal in terms of graphics, longtime Halo fans seem to be quite pleased. The new weapons and abilities on display seem like smart evolutions of concepts from classic titles, the sound effects are pitch-perfect across the board, and the environment feels like a return to Master Chief's first adventure. A meaty open-world story featuring the Chief could satisfy a fanbase that regularly replays older campaigns with tons of difficulty modifiers just to take on a new challenge. If this is going to be the Halo game for the coming decade, those are the fans 343 Industries has to please.
Halo Infinite is coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC in Holiday 2020.
Source: Alanah Pearce - YouTube