On March 26, 2020, head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty released an official statement addressing concerns surrounding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic situation. Previously, a significant amount of fan speculation had occurred regarding the potential delay of Microsoft projects, including the upcoming Xbox Series X console and its launch titles, which are slated to include Halo: Infinite.
This is the second official statement made by the Xbox team, as Phil Spencer released a message last week entitled “What We’re Doing.”
Like Spencer’s, Booty’s official statement did not discuss any concrete delays of either consoles or titles. He reassured fans that Microsoft is prioritizing the health and safety of its team members around the world, as well as acknowledging the “unique challenges and constraints” being faced by game developers in these difficult times. He explained that individual decisions regarding game production were placed in the hands of the studio and team leaders, but that Microsoft would support them as best as possible.
Currently, Microsoft remains committed to releasing the Xbox Series X in 2020. 343 Industries, the developer behind Halo: Infinite, also continues to hope for a 2020 release, but they acknowledge that they are facing limitations due to the coronavirus situation.
Information regarding other in-development Xbox titles, including Grounded and Everwild, was not released.
Read Booty’s statement in full here:
“We know that gaming connects people during times of social distancing, and we are committed to delivering the highest quality Xbox Game Studios games for our global community of players. At the same time, the health and safety of our XGS development teams is our top priority. Each studio is facing unique challenges and constraints depending on its particular location, and many of our external development partners around the world are similarly affected. We are supporting our studio leaders to make the right decisions for their teams and their individual games during this challenging time.”
Which Xbox titles are you looking forward to the most this year? Do you plan to purchase the Xbox Series X console? Let us know!
