It’s safe to say that Halo Infinite fans were disappointed when yesterday’s Xbox presentation at Gamescom 2021 came and went without a mention of the highly anticipated first-party title. With less than four months left in the year, fans have been anxiously waiting for new information about the game, specifically its release date. Today, 343 Industries finally announced Halo Infinite will be coming on December 8, 2021. While many fans were excited to hear the news, plenty more were asking why this information wasn’t provided during yesterday’s Xbox presentation.
Although it might seem a little bit puzzling to leave that crucial Halo Infinite information for the Opening Night Live event, it actually makes sense for Microsoft to want to spread things out. Not only was the company able to showcase plenty of lower-profile titles that are coming to Xbox consoles and PC later this year, but it was also able to give Halo Infinite the spotlight it deserves without one of those things overshadowing the other.
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Letting Xbox's Presentation Stand on its Own
Yesterday’s Xbox Gamescom presentation wasn’t packed with trailers like E3 2021. It instead allowed its two hosts to sit down with game makers and discuss the titles that are coming soon to Xbox platforms. For many it wasn’t quite as exciting as they had hoped, but it was still full of excellent information and background on the development studios. As not every presentation is able to be as exciting as Microsoft’s E3 2021, the showcase served as something of a change of pace for the company and allowed for it to show off what it has been investing in.
Had Microsoft included the Halo Infinite release date reveal during yesterday’s showcase, it would have most certainly overshadowed the rest of the presentation. Because of the anticipation surrounding the game, it’s just seems like most Xbox fans would have forgotten about the interviews and deep dives into development that happened with titles like Age of Empires 4 or Microsoft Flight Simulator. Instead, the company opted to include the reveal during Opening Night Live, which allowed the previous Xbox presentation to stand on its own as Halo Infinite excitement boiled over the following day.
Halo Infinite's One-Two Punch
Halo Infinite and the studio behind it, 343 Industries, have spent plenty of time in the spotlight this year, for better or worse. Even with the recent reveal that the game would be launching without Halo’s classic co-op multiplayer campaigns or Forge mode, expectations have been at an all-time high. When it didn’t make an appearance for Xbox’s presentation, fans believed that another delay could be in the cards.
Today, when 343 Industries announced Halo Infinite’s December 8 release date along with a Master Chief-themed Xbox Elite 2 controller and a limited-edition Halo Infinite-themed Xbox Series X, fans got to revel in the excitement of the reveal. While there have been plenty of other exciting moments and reveals during Opening Night Live, few can top the moment that 343 Industries provided. By putting all the information in today’s showcase and not in yesterday’s, Microsoft was able to thread the needle of allowing its showcase of smaller games to shine while also stealing the show with Halo Infinite. With all the hype built up around it, hopefully the game is received well by the fans and critics.
Halo Infinite is scheduled to release on December 8, 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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