Halo Infinite gets a new release window of Fall 2021

After missing its original launch date of November 2020, Halo Infinite has been given a new launch window of Fall 2021.

The new date comes from a blog post from 343 Industries’ Joseph Staten, who listed a number of changes being made to the game, thanks to the extra development time. These changes include multiplayer and armour customisation – and perhaps most crucially, art and graphical improvements. Halo Infinite’s initial reveal trailer was met with criticism of the game’s graphics and art style, leading to the “Craig the Brute” meme, inspired by one of the trailer’s enemies.

In the post, Staten directly addressed the feedback to the original demo, stating:

“I joined 343i right as the team was wrestling with feedback from the July campaign demo. This discussion boiled down to one fundamental truth: we needed more time to do things right. That included pushing hard in the Fall, giving the team time to recharge over the Holidays, and then coming back in January to finish the game at a healthy pace.”

The game’s director of art management, Neill Harrison, also acknowledged the criticisms, stating that improvements had already begun before the demo was revealed.

“The primary goal for the Campaign demo in July was showing Halo Infinite gameplay for the first time. While that aspect generally landed as we wanted, the reality is that the art and visuals weren’t at the bar we hold for Halo – even in a work-in-progress state.

“Much of the feedback we heard from the community aligned with our own views and work we were already committed to doing around things like indirect lighting, material response, foliage and tree rendering, clouds, level-of-detail transitions, and character fidelity. Still, the feedback was humbling, and it also pushed us to look at additional opportunities for improvement.”

The team even acknowledged poor Craig the Brute, and while they note he has become (somewhat ironically) beloved by the internet, Harrison states that he “was never intended to be seen in that condition.”

You and me both, Craig.