In a pretty massive blow to Xbox fans, the Halo Infinite release date has been pushed to 2021. The game had originally been set to launch this holiday season, in time for the release of the new Xbox Series X console which releases in November 2020.

Chris Lee, Studio Head for Halo Infinite explained that the game was being delayed due to various challenges, including the ongoing COVID-related impacts. "It's not sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday," Lee said in a statement. "We know this will be disappointing to many of you and we all share in that sentiment. The passion and support the community has shown over the years has been incredible and inspiring. We wanted nothing more than to play our game with the community this holiday. The extra time will let us finish the critical work necessary to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever at the quality we know our fans expect."

The first gameplay footage was revealed recently, and while it looked fun, it very much just looked like another Halo game. It'll be interesting to see what fixes are in store, and if reaction to the gameplay had anything to do with the decision to delay. This was not a light decision, as Xbox Series X will now be launching this November without a brand new Halo game to further entice gamers. That's a huge deal.

No specific window in 2021 was given for the new Halo Infinite release date, so it's anyone's guess as to when this game will be finished.

Read the full statement from Lee below.