Halo Infinite Developer Talks About Impact Of Coronavirus On The Game

2020 is a huge year for Xbox, as Microsoft is releasing the Xbox Series X with Halo Infinite as a launch title later this year. Or at least that's the plan. While Microsoft has already confirmed multiple times that the Xbox Series X will release on schedule amid the COVID-19 crisis, Halo Infinite's status is less clear.

In a blog post, the development team at 343 Industries shied away from confirming anything about a release date for Halo Infinite. For now, the game remains on schedule to launch this holiday, though the way in which developers at 343 Industries work on the project has changed substantially.

"We're removing all the obstacles in our path and tracking well, but need to be mindful of our current limitations and understand that the coronavirus situation may get worse before it gets better," 343 said in the post. "Rest assured that every single one of us is doing everything in our power to continue developing and delivering quality Halo experiences while we adjust to this new way of life."

This statement also applies to Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC, which is in ongoing development. Halo 2 Anniversary is expected to launch next, with a beta test coming soon.

The 343 blog post also confirms that developers at 343 are now working from home, and have been for more than two weeks already. The developers are currently focused on "getting creative to make sure they can do their best from outside the studio," the blog post said.

"Both 343 and Microsoft's leadership teams have been providing constant updates with how the COVID-19 situation is progressing, how our projects are progressing, and recommendations on how best to stay safe during these unprecedented times," the post goes on to say.

343 also mentioned that Halo fans should understand that the COVID-19 crisis is real, and precautionary measures like staying home and practicing social distancing are incredibly important.

"Please remember that this is bigger than games and bigger than Halo. Practice social distancing whenever possible ... wash your hands, and do your best to keep it clean. We're all in this together," the post said.

These are unprecedented times, so it makes sense that there would be some amount of interruption in the development of Halo Infinite (and all other games where developers have shifted to working from home). The teams at Rockstar Games and Bungie are also working from home.