Halo Infinite could have been split up into separate parts, Phil Spencer reveals

Phil Spencer has spoken about the decision to delay Halo Infinite and revealed that Xbox considered splitting the game up into parts and shipping them separately before ultimately pushing the release back to 2021.

Spencer spoke about the delay during a guest appearance on screenwriter Gary Whitta's Animal Talking show yesterday. As GameSpot reports, the head of Xbox explained that other plans were considered when it came to handling the decision to delay Halo Infinite, including splitting it up and shipping it out in parts. You can see a quick clip of the interview below.

Ultimately though, as Stevivor quotes, Spencer explained that in the end the decision to delay the game was made in the interests of the strength of the Halo franchise and the health and ability of the team, and that splitting it up in parts "didn't feel, to all of us, like the Halo release that we would want."

"We're disappointed," Spencer added. "We know it was something people were looking forward to this year, but we're also incredibly committed to deliver a great game, and I think that's the most important thing."

News of the Halo Infinite delay came about earlier in the week, with 343 industries posting a statement announcing that the release had been pushed to 2021. Studio head Chris Lee wrote that the "decision to shift our release is the result of multiple factors that have contributed to development challenges, including the ongoing COVID-related impacts affecting us all this year."

Originally set to be a launch title for the Xbox Series X with a Holiday 2020 release date window, Lee explained that "it is not sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday."

Keep track of all of the next-gen releases on the horizon with our roundup of upcoming Xbox Series X games.

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Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.