Halo Infinite Dev Turnover Is Nothing To Worry About, Says Xbox Boss

Halo Infinite, which was originally planned as an Xbox Series X/S launch title, was delayed into 2021, and fans have been getting nervous. Amid reports of staff turnover and concerns over a lack of new information, as well as an underwhelming gameplay reveal, there's been some speculation that things aren't going well at developer 343 Industries.

In an interview with GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has talked about the changes happening at the Halo developer across 2020, and said that what's happening there is very normal--and that what's being reported doesn't always line up with what is actually happening.

"Sometimes what hits the press, or when certain things get announced internally, have actually happened months before," Spencer says. He admits that the game's delay so soon after its gameplay reveal was unfortunate timing.

"It's not always accurate when these things line up--we did take the feedback coming out of the July showcase event seriously, both on the date and what people were expecting from the game," he continues. "It was a miss on our part, on my part, to open our July showcase with Halo Infinite and then a couple of weeks later have to move the date."

"I don't take the sentiment and the emotion of our fans and our customers lightly," Spencer continues. "We set an expectation that here, this is something you're going to have at launch and then we have to change that expectation not too much after our showing--that's a mistake."

"So I really have a lot of faith in Bonnie [Ross] and the team there having Joe and Pierre join, which they did late in the summer--I feel good about where we are on that team," Spencer says, referring to returning Halo veterans Joseph Staten and Pierre Hintze.

He also emphasizes that turnover in the industry is normal and expected. "I don't have any specific concern 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 that they're working on."

While you won't be able to play Halo Infinite on the newly-released Xbox Series X or S (or PC and Xbox One) just yet, you can nab some early DLC through a candy promotion.

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

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

• Xbox Series X review
• Xbox Series S review
• Xbox Launch Game Reviews
• Xbox Series X/S Availability For Launch Day: Where To Buy The Series X