In a recent interview, it appears that Microsoft is not at all reliant on “massive exclusive titles,” such as the Halo Infinite, to help drive the Xbox Series X success.
The highly anticipated Halo Infinite title was expected to headline Microsoft’s Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, the game was delayed until 2021.
In fact, Micky News previously reported that Microsoft decided to broke both the bad and good news on the same day. The announcement of the Xbox Series X release for November kicked off with affirming the Halo Infinite “launch timing.”
Xbox Series X owners will have a lot of games to enjoy
In an interview with The New York Times, Xbox spokesperson Cindy Walker said:
“Having Halo at our launch would have been tremendous.”
For months, loyal Xbox users were expecting Halo Infinite alongside Xbox’s upcoming console. Of course, it was teased to be that way until the bomb drop last month.
Many believe it may have been due to the loads of criticisms the game received during Microsoft’s Xbox showcase.
Walker further explained:
“[W]e are not reliant on massive exclusive titles to drive console adoption. Our players will have thousands of games from four generations of Xbox available to play on launch day.”
Video Games Chronicles reports that in the absence of Halo Infinite, Microsoft will depend on “third-party games such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.”
Other big titles accompanying Xbox Series X/S this November are—to name a few:
- Dirt 5
- FIFA 21
- Marvel’s Avengers
- NBA 2K21
- Watch Dogs Legion
- Tetris Effect: Connected
Other key roles set in play
Indeed enough, the absence of Halo Infinite in this November 10 is a big empty hole to fill. Nonetheless, the next Halo title was not the only bullet that Xbox had for its launch.
The wildly promoted Xbox Game Pass will likely draw its community’s attention.
While speaking about the Halo Infinite delay, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said, as quoted by VGC:
“What you’ll see from us around the launch of the console, frankly, isn’t going to change too much because you were going to hear a lot about the console and a lot about Game Pass and how we think those two things together are a real great value proposition for gamers going into the next generation.”
Accordingly, Spencer strongly teases the great things they’ve planned out for Game Pass. “Our investment in Game Pass and that portfolio continues to be strong,” he further said.
The delay of Halo Infinite was a strategic move to relieve the game from any permanent damage in the long run. The Halo community has high expectations which the devs know better than to disappoint its loyal crowd.
Featured image courtesy of HALO/YouTube Screenshot