When Halo Infinite launched, some elements of the game were not ready for prime time. Split-screen co-op was not in the game (and has subsequently been cancelled altogether), the Forge map editor was not available, non-split-screen co-op was also not in the game… the list goes on. So what happened? Well, swiggity swooty, listen to Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, who is happy to point out that you can lay the blame for all that on the pandemic. That darn pandemic.
In the Friends Per Second podcast interview, Booty explains at length that Halo Infinite’s launch was functionally a case of stumbling at the finish line, with too few updates for the game’s well-received multiplayer mode and too many elements that were left out of launch which ultimately helped derail the game’s live service rollouts. He also claims that changes have been made and this is something that is changing, but it remains to be seen how much actually changes now that the game has been out for about a year. The proof, as always, is in the pudding. The delicious, lime-green, Master-Chief-flavored pudding.
