Halo Infinite was delayed by a year so that it could become a game that 343 Industries was "proud" of.
When Halo Infinite was first revealed, it was billed as the next big thing for both the series and for Xbox. Despite this, Infinite's first showing at E3 2020 was hit with massive criticism towards the game's graphics, with many complaining that it didn't look like a next-gen game. Infinite was delayed shortly after the E3 showcase, leading to it missing the launch of the Xbox Series.
Several key members behind Halo have since spoken about this troubling time for the series in a new interview with The Washington Post that details the Paramount+ show and future of Infinite. Bonnie Ross, general manager of 343 Industries said, "At the time, it was like, ‘Microsoft has Halo. Microsoft’s going to mess up Halo. It’s like the press, the fans, everyone were like, ‘This is the end of Halo.’ … Building Halo and creating Halo is not easy, and stepping into those huge shoes was a really daunting experience.”
Ross also reveals that the reaction to the E3 showcase was what informed 343 that they were behind schedule on the game, saying, "They [343′s developers] were just basically saying, ‘This isn’t a game we’re going to be proud of". This then led to the team requesting more time on the game, leading to the infamous 12-month delay.
Ross continued to say, “It was so important to us as a team to actually bring Halo back to launch with the console, to kind of bring that whole moment back together. And it was an incredibly painful decision [to delay] because it would’ve been great for the business to be there. It would’ve been great for Halo to be there, but it wasn’t the right thing for ‘Infinite’ and it wasn’t the right thing for the team.”
It seems that the decision to delay Halo Infinite was one that ended up working out in its favour, as it saw positive reviews and reception from both critics and gamers alike.