Why Halo Infinite Is Taking So Long To Come Out

Up until now, the Halo series had been on a semi-regular release schedule with each title in the main series launching within three years of each other, and sometimes faster. But it's been almost four years already since the release of Halo 5: Guardians in 2015, meaning fans have had to wait longer than ever for Halo Infinite. Why is it taking so long for the game to come out?

Halo transmedia boss Kiki Wolfkill explained to GI.biz that one of the reasons is because the team at 343 Industries has spent a lot of time working on "retooling" the franchise's infrastructure. That probably is a reference to the brand-new Slipspace engine that Microsoft showed off at E3 2018.

"Part of why there's been that span of time between Halo 5 and Infinite is the retooling of the infrastructure to give us the flexibility to do whatever we wanted with that game," she said.

In addition, Halo Infinite marks the "next generation of Halo," Wolfkill said. As such, and because the game is a "spiritual reboot," Wolfkill said the team is taking extra time to make sure Infinite is a game that newcomers can also play and enjoy.

"But it's also about setting off the next generation of Halo," she said. "We want people to be able to come into Halo Infinite who may not have played any other Halo game before."

Part of Wolfkill's job as the leader of the Halo transmedia team is to find ways to expand Halo's profile and reach. There is a new Halo TV show coming, and this, as well as the other Halo transmedia efforts, might help draw in new players for Infinite.

"Part of what my role is and my goal with the transmedia pieces is, how do we start to engage new audiences and bring people into the universe so that when Infinite comes out, maybe people who haven't played before are interested in playing," she said.

The Halo TV show, which is being produced by GameSpot sister company Showtime, is being compared to Game of Thrones in terms of its scope and scale.

Halo Infinite will presumably be shown off during the Xbox E3 2019 briefing coming up soon. Microsoft is also expected to announce a next-generation console (or two) during the show.