Microsoft says Halo Infinite is still a ‘work-in-progress’

Microsoft kicked off its Xbox Series X Games Showcase on Thursday with the first look at Halo Infinite campaign gameplay. And after it was widely panned by viewers, Microsoft responded with a plea for patience.

“Listen, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic,” Xbox marketing manager Aaron Greenberg said in an interview with Inside Gaming on Thursday. “It’s July, we’re far from [launch in] holiday, you’re seeing a work-in-progress game.”

Greenberg was responding to a growing chorus of people who were disappointed by Halo Infinite‘s graphics. During the livestream, many viewers said the game looked more like an Xbox One title rather than a game slated for a next-generation console. Since then, Reddit, Twitter, and other online forums have been awash with fears that Halo Infinite may not live up to the hype.

Greenberg didn’t necessarily say that the game looked like a true next-generation title in his interview. He did, however, try to partially blame the stream on how the game looked.

“It’s very hard to show the full power and graphical fidelity of what Xbox Series X will be able to deliver for you over a stream,” he said. Greenberg told viewers to visit Halo’s YouTube channel where the gameplay can be viewed in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. He noted that the livestream was delivered in 1080p.

Still, questions have been surfacing for weeks about whether Xbox Series X games will match PlayStation 5 alternatives. Microsoft has said that all Xbox Game Studios titles will be developed for both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X, prompting some to fear that the games may have less fidelity because they’re being built for older hardware.

Microsoft has said on several occasions that won’t happen and all of its games will be optimized for next-generation hardware. Halo Infinite, however, didn’t give those fearful players confidence.

Interestingly, Microsoft also revealed on Thursday that the Halo Infinite gameplay footage wasn’t actually running on an Xbox Series X. Instead, it was streaming over a PC with specs “representative” of the Xbox Series X experience. Whether that may have also played a role in the gameplay footage is unknown.

Whatever the case, Greenberg is urging patience and said by the time Halo Infinite launches this holiday season, things will turn out well.

“Between now and Holiday,” he said, “it’s just going to get better and better.”