Halo Infinite’s gameplay reveal was a very high stakes moment for 343 Industries, Microsoft, and the franchise itself, but reception to it has been lukewarm at best. While there has been some criticism for the gameplay looking like more Halo but in an open world setting, the lion’s share of the negative reception has been directed at the game’s visuals- which, honestly, don’t look all that impressive, especially for a flagship first party title that’s supposed to showcase the power of the Xbox Series X.
343 Industries and Microsoft have certainly not been turning a blind eye to that criticism. They’ve said that the demo we saw at the Xbox Games Showcase was from an earlier build of the game, while promises of improvements in the time between now and the game’s launch have also been made. Now, 343 Industries’ Dan Chosich – Narrative Experience Director on Halo Infinite – has addressed the backlash against the game once more over on Twitter.
Saying that he understands how it feels to be looking forward to something and then be let down by it, Chosich gave assurances that feedback and criticism for Halo Infinite is not falling on deaf ears, and is being taken into account by the developers. Chosich ended his tweet by saying that he wants to “live up to the legacy that Bungie pioneered” and that he “personally care[s] a lot about honoring that.”
343 Industries have fumbled on more than one occasion ever since they took Halo’s reigns from Bungie, but Halo Infinite will hopefully be them finally making their mark on the series in a positive way. Recently, they said that though the game’s beta testing was in doubt, they were still taking broader feedback into account during development through various avenues.
Halo Infinite launches this Holiday for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. Contrary to recent reports, it won’t be launching without multiplayer, so you can rest easy on that count.
I’ve been in your shoes. I know what it's like to have expectations built + feel let down. I want you to know your voice matters + is heard. You're not falling on deaf ears. I always want to live up to the legacy that Bungie pioneered. I personally care a lot about honoring that.
— Dan Chosich (@DanChosich) July 25, 2020