Another Halo Infinite Director Leaves The Project

Bloomberg reports that game director Chris Lee has left the Halo Infinite project. This comes not long after Infinite was delayed past the Xbox Series X/S launch and into some unspecified date in 2021.

Lee confirmed the news with Bloomberg, saying he has "stepped back" from his role on Halo Infinite. Despite there being no new release date, Lee said he is confident the team will deliver on a great game next year. Notably, he's the second director to leave the game in the last two years.

"I have stepped back from Infinite and I am looking at future opportunities," Lee said. "I believe in the team and am confident they will deliver a great game and now is a good time for me to step away."

Microsoft commented on Chris Lee taking a step back from his role as director on Halo Infinite, saying Lee remains a Microsoft employee.

"Chris Lee remains a Microsoft employee and while he has stepped back from Halo Infinite right now, we appreciate all he has done for the project to date," Microsoft said in a statement to GameSpot.

According to his LinkedIn, Lee has been with 343 Industries since 2008, where he served as a lead producer on the Halo franchise. In 2016, Lee was promoted to Partner Studio Head, in which he spearheaded the "spiritual reboot" to the Halo series, likely referring to Halo 5.

Halo Infinite was slated to arrive alongside the Xbox Series S and Series X as a launch title. But the game was delayed in August due to multiple factors, including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In fact, the game has seen some turbulence since development. Creative director Tim Longo left 343 Industries in August 2019, with executive producer Mary Olson following suit in October. And earlier this year, 343 confirmed that three different studios are assisting with Halo Infinite's development. The team even brought back veteran writer Joseph Staten.

A new date has not been announced, but Halo Infinite launches sometime in 2021. Halo's community director quelled release date rumors by reiterating that the game doesn't have a locked-in date yet.