Halo Infinite Dev revenue is nothing to worry about, says Xbox Boss

Halo Infinite, originally slated as the Xbox Series X / S launch title, has been delayed to 2021 and fans have grown nervous. Amid reports of staff turnover and concerns about the lack of new information, as well as disappointing gameplay, there has been speculation that things are not going well at developer 343 Industries.

In an interview with GameSpot’s Tamoor Hussain, Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke about the changes happening at developer Halo in 2020, and said what’s going on there is very normal – and that that is reported does not always correspond to what is actually happening.

“Sometimes what hits the press, or when certain things are advertised internally, has happened months before,” says Spencer. He admits that the game’s delay so soon after its gameplay was revealed was an unfortunate moment.

“It’s not always accurate when these things line up – we took the feedback from the July showcase seriously, both on when and what people expected from the game,” he continues. “It was a mishap of us, on my part, to open our July storefront with Halo Infinite and then a few weeks later I had to move the date.”

“I don’t take the feeling and emotion of our fans and customers lightly,” continues Spencer. “We expect that here is something you’re going to have at launch and then we have to change that expectation not too much after our presentation – that’s a mistake.”

“So I really trust Bonnie [Ross] and the team there that joined Joe and Peter, which they did at the end of the summer – I feel good where we’re at on that team, ”Spencer says, referring to the veterans of Halo, Joseph Staten and Pierre Hintze.

He also underlines that the turnover in the industry is normal and expected. “I don’t have any specific concerns about 343. I actually think in the long run turnover is a healthy thing because we want people who are really motivated by the things they’re working on.”

While you can’t play Halo Infinite on the new Xbox Series X or S (or PC and Xbox One) just yet, you can grab some DLC early on through a candy promotion.

During the interview, Phil Spencer also revealed that he played Elden Ring and had some impressions.

Xbox Series X and S are available now. Check out GameSpot’s coverage of Microsoft’s new machines below: