Does Halo's Delay Impact PS5's Launch?

IGN's weekly PlayStation show looks at how the next-gen launches will stack up now that Halo isn't launching alongside the Series X, plus much more!

[darthv72]

the 360 didn't have a halo game launch with it, the xbo didnt etiher. I feel there is too much weight being applied to this one game. It will come out when its ready. The PS3 didnt release with a GT game or a god of war game. It had other games to release with. Same goes for the PS4. The typical "system sellers" dont happen right away. They come out at the appropriate time to "sell systems". That shouldnt diminish the efforts of the other games that are there at launch or throughout. They all have a chance to sell and make a name for themselves (if they are new).

Halo delay wont effect the PS5... it wont even effect the SX.

[ziggurcat]

"I feel there is too much weight being applied to this one game"

To be fair, MS did promote the hell out of this game leading up to their last presentation, and a significant chunk of their pre-show was hyping everyone up for the new Halo, too.

[darthv72]

To be fair, Halo was never about the flashy graphics. It was about the story, the lore, the fight. That is what has me hyped for it.

[Phoenix76]

Darthv72

Sorry but that's a poor defence for title reveal. It's the same kind of defense that ppl had with sea of thieves lack of content because of the "water".
Or the defence of crackdown 3's poor graphics and destruction model and piss poor cloud computing, because everyone was having "fun".

[bouzebbal]

Darth

You have been fantasizing about how powerful this console is, but halo looking like shit and not even running on xbox doesn't disturb you at all?
Unbelievable..

[VenomUK]

Committed Xbox fans and hardcore gamers will buy a Series X at launch no-matter what. However Microsoft will find it a more challenging proposition to sell to other gamers because of two unique factors; no standout exclusive that compares to Halo Infinite and also no generational exclusives.

The Halo franchise has a long history and is a big deal for many, so Halo Infinite at the Xbox Series X launch if it was of a high standard would have been an amazing draw that would sell consoles, however there are no other Xbox launch exclusives with that power. Halo Infinite of course will sell when it does launch and it will help sell Series X consoles but that won't be for at least 3 months or more.

Additionally, all the games that are coming out for Series X will also be playable on Xbox One. The games will be graphically superior but they will be the same. So for a gamer who already has and Xbox One or Xbox One X when looking to buy a next-gen system might see that the Xbox Series X offers exactly the same experiences but with improved resolution however with a $500-600 price of entry, so might not see that as good value until there is a standout 'killer app' to help move units.

Microsoft is promoting the good value of buying the Xbox Series X because of Game Pass and the amount of games that are included. Sony is pushing the PlayStation 5 as offering new next-generational experiences. The manufacturer whose console sells the most will be the one who's philosophy resonates most with early-adopter gamers.

[GameZenith]

I agree with Darth

In fact, I would say this actually helps the X. This fall was always crowded with console launches and other top tier games. Its hard to market you game while Call of Duty, AC Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077 and much more is going on.

Delaying to later in a much quiet and stable time allows Halo to be the center of the stage.

Lets me honest people, the Series X will sell out this holiday season no matter what. Yes, the PS5 will sell more cause it has more exclusives, but if you think that in late November or early December you can just goto a website and easily order the Series X you are wrong.

While MS would have like Halo at launch, it is not the final nail in the coffin.

[jukins]

@Gamerzenith you mean sellout like the Scorpio edition xbox one that was readily available even years after its launch? Maybe it doesnt need halo bit microsoft has touted it as a launch for the series x for awhile. Just had a show basically dedicated to it and now its delayed. This flip flop messaging is exactly what got them in trouble last gen.

They can push gsmepass as much as they want but I think the majority of users are gonna be console users if you're not selling consoles. .and relying on pc gamers to float you . . . . This gen will repeat

[Christopher]

@darthv72: I agree with you. But, with Microsoft making their constant claims about more powerful, you'd think they would have taken some time to have a key game on display to show it off. It didn't need to be Halo, but they needed something.

[bouzebbal]

Venom

Isn't Halo infinite on X1, xcloud, Windows, gamepass as well??

[BehindTheRows]

Thank you.

[UltraNova]

Yes it will affect the PS5's launch, because even more people will buy one now and finding one will be even harder than it would be.

[Petebloodyonion]

I agree with Ziggurcat Halo was never about flashy graphics but MS did promote the hell out of Halo for serieX
We had teasers, stills, feature stating that only on OG Xbox a Halo was launch etc.

[Fluttershy77]

Probably you have multiple comments in every single article on Halo Infinite and suddenly you "feel there is too much weight being applied to this one game" like is a minor thing, like is just Halo, right? Who cares?!

Of course its gonna impact the Xbox launch!!!... you can't be serious about this, are you telling me that you truly believe that is the same launching with or without Halo? Come on!!!... and it might even effect the PS5 too they don't even feel the need to launch with a big hitter now

[darthv72]

actually... I dont. Ive only commented a few times on this subject. And yes it is a big halo release but as I pointed out its okay that its not at launch. Only the og xbox had a halo game launch with it. Every other release has come later. The delay will have no impact on the SX nor will it have any impact on the PS5. If YOU think it will then YOU are probably one of those believers that buy a system for one game. Nobody does that anymore... they buy for a variety of games. Be it old or new there is more to do with the SX than just play Halo infinite.

[Godmars290]

Pretty sure the issue is that, once again, MS have graphically downgraded and delayed a title they've hyped to no end. The only thing surprising at this point, to me anyway, is that they want to put it out piecemeal when I'm pretty sure they said that already. That MP was going to come out first for "free". Don't get why they'd say that only to then announce the delay, *then* repeat what they've already said.

And as far as effecting PS5, the only thing this delay might do is further increase demand as a few former Xbox fans get tired of s**t like this.

[rainslacker]

While true, prior xbox systems did have more games marketed instead of XSX which seemed to place most of its marketing weight behind halo. There are games coming with the XSX launch, but MS has been promoting those as cross gen games. Halo was distinctly different in how they marketed it, with less emphasis on its cross gen release.

No company should rely on only one game for launch, but MS did, and they dont have enough marketed for the long term to build the prospects for what's to come. There just isn't that much to look forward to beyond promises, and the promise is starting to crumble around Phil. It's at the straw breaking the camel's back point, and MS has nothing to recover from the blow.

[Atom666]

How quickly we go from MS not showing Halo, to MS overusing it....

But the dramatics at the end made me chuckle. We've been told that, because Halo was cross gen and available on PC, its impact as a launch game was diminished already. That was true imo.

So just like before, what's going to be their selling point? Power and value are still there potentially, and that will still be their focus.

We can pretend that everyone buying PS5s and XSXs during the launch period are doing it because of the launch lineups, but that's not true. Most people who will preorder a new console had their mind made up already. That old ps3 line is still true today: the first 5+ million will sell even if there were no games.

So look for MS to be aggressive on value proposition to sway the fence sitters for now. Maybe they undercut PS5 on price, maybe they get big AAA 3rd parties on GP this November. Either way, expect them to leverage value and the power difference early, and hopefully have Halo in a much better position to be an actual system seller in 2021.

PS5 will outsell it with or without Halo even if PS has a bigger price tag. You put Halo in there once the dust settles on initial launch shipments, and you have a chance at swaying those who waited til 2021.

I still see 2021 as the "battle of the moneyhatting," with both using timed exclusives to the best of their ability. Sony still likely leads.

So absent a very expensive and unlikely miracle, things will basically play out as expected. Delaying Halo should put some heat on producers within 343 and people like Ross and Booty, but it's not some death blow to the division.

[rainslacker]

Who said they weren't showing it? They haven't shown that many high profile games, which is what people were saying all gen, but that hasn't changed lately.

In any case, i don't think they were overusing Halo, I just think they relied on it too much as their key marketing point when it came to releases. The other side of the software front is mostly about game pass.

As far as the dramatics, yet another thing that can both be true. The impact of Halo being cross gen and on PC does lessen the need for the XSX, as well as MS still using it as their key software marketing point for XSX, means that they were diminishing it's effectiveness.

As far as what their selling point is, power and value are probably going to be it. But they're in a position where they aren't showing off the power, and without a price on the console, the only value they're talking about is with Game Pass....which they're diminishing the need for the console again with the upcoming xCloud release.

I'm not pretending everyone's buying a PS5. I know people will still want and buy an XSX. But most people are simply talking in generalities, and for the most part, MS has killed what little momentum they had with the delay. in the mean time, and on topic to the article, it allows Sony to get easier hype on social media, which does help them, as once again, the narrative that MS isn't delivering is back in full force.

I expect MS to be aggressive with their marketing. I wouldn't believe they'd be anything but. However, they keep removing things from their marketing which are key talking points among social media, and they're doing so with alarming frequency. Almost everything MS has hyped up this year, which subsequently has been hyped on forums, has fallen flat.

I agree PS5 will outsell either way, but I was never one to say otherwise.

As far as 2021, I'd probably say that will go on all next generation, for better or worse.

[Atom666]

Was that a sincere question? Just go back to any thread, story, video, or article re Halo prior to July and you'll see the commentary on MS's silence on it. That's from both fans and "concerned" non-fans alike.

That's one of the reasons the reaction has been funny to see. It went from "why aren't we hearing about Halo" to "They were relying on just that one game."

But they weren't just relying on it. Remember the whole "biggest launch lineup ever" line they pushed? You had Nadella telling investors about the 100 XSX games coming at launch, etc. People mocked it, but they've been talking up the # of games available ad nauseum.

Obviously Halo was the big title in the "Only AAA 1st Party games matter" line of thinking. That's fair enough, but there's obviously other titles coming. This was never a Mario 64 scenario.

But it's also just funny to go through the list of reasons why Halo wasn't a big deal until it got delayed. Its cross-gen, "I can play it on my PC" (that only seems to run Xbox games for some odd reason), it's not that important anymore, etc.

Now its delay is breaking that camel's back!

What is there to look forward to? Well, Halo for one. It wasn't canceled. We won't know value until prices come, that's true. But it's not like these things are being sold yet. Price announcements will be in close proximity to one another when they do come.

We both know that the "power" debate only can be demonstrated by side by sides of the same software. Take this gen. Ryse was objectively gorgeous at launch, but we all know PS4 won the "power" narrative by pixel counting in GTA and COD. Same will happen here again regardless of what 1st party can achieve.

Obviously this hurts MS, but not in such a way that destroys what they've been building. They want the power and value narrative. The no games narrative will only change when those new studios start delivering. So look on the bright side, at least we know of 1 game releasing in 2021 now!

[rainslacker]

And again...can't both things be true? They weren't showing it. And they are relying on it too much.

" Remember the whole "biggest launch lineup ever" line they pushed"

Can't remember the timing. Was that before or after the Xbox fan boy base lowered it's standards for MS to an absurdly low level?

Had this discussion in the past with others, and decided to be more specific with another poster elsewhere....but at what point do people stop pretending that indie and mid-tier titles are the kinds of games people talk about when they say a system has no games? Kind of tired of the context of this being changed to suit the lowered standards of xbox fans, because I sure as hell remember the standards that were placed on Sony for several console releases by these same xbox fan boys for them to use the phrase. Should we expect 3-4 big AAA games at launch? No, that'd be unreasonable. But maybe one? That seems fair. Maybe some more on the horizon as well...but MS doesn't have any of that either, so whatever. They're doing great. If you like what MS has to offer, that's fine. I'm not going to tell you your wrong. But if we're going to be discussing general marketing or potential sales of the system, I expect real world metrics to be used, and not this anecdotal nonsense I keep seeing brought up with pitiful lists.

" That's fair enough, but there's obviously other titles coming"

Oh yeah? What big AAA titles are coming....and more importantly, when? In the launch window?

"We both know that the "power" debate only can be demonstrated by side by sides of the same software."

Really? We know that? Then why has Sony's first party consistently outperformed the X1X this whole gen....even on the base PS4? I've seen more power out of Sony's first party than I have from MS resolution, framerate chasing ideals.

I will agree that it doesn't destroy what they were building. If anything, it means that the xbox is probably just better to not buy, and then just play the games on xCloud or PC if one so desires. I'm sure MS will be fine with that, but this is a discussion about the consoles relevance and the impact of Halo's delay on PS5, which is going to be directly proportional to the impact on the XSX.

[neutralgamer1992]

Darth

Early adopters are hardcore gamers so I agree early on both systems will sell. Early on PS4/Xbox one sold neck and neck until few months later when PS4 started to dominate. Ms better release some amazing exclusives early on otherwise they will be in an uphill battle which it is the case anyway

What I want to know is what have 343 spent all that money and resources along with 5 years. 343 have some heavy hitters when it comes to great developer I feel like this is the case of too many chefs in the kitchen. They hired the best from around the world yet their game quality has been very sub par

I just feel like Sony has such a huge install base of gamers from PS4 to ps5 that they transition would be a lot smoother. It will be hard for Ms to convince those who have PS4 be to switch to XSX. Where as those gamers know Sony will release amazing games because of all the excellent games they released this generation

Ps5 is expected to outsell XSX halo or not so I agree I don't know how big of a difference it makes. The last halo game to sell like a system seller was halo 3 with multi hundred million dollar advertisement campaign. So we than no halo game has come close to the sale numbers of halo 3(which btw in today's sales standards aren't out of this world to begin with)

On to your point about halo and graphics ok I give you that but when current halo graphics and weapon textures look worst than halo reach than we do have to bring up graphics. Also Phil Spencer and Xbox fanbase can't have it both ways when the argument suits them they use graphics and power argument and when it doesn't than graphics don't matter

Just like when it was halo vs killzone sales matter but when it comes to GT vs Forza sales don't matter. Phil Spencer has a habit of talking from both sides of his mouth and so does Xbox fanbase

You can have an event and not show gameplay than hype up your 2nd show and hype up power, graphics, budget for halo, new engine and 5 years of development than show a game that looks like a last generation game. In this race of putting everything on gamepass quantity matters not quality. Gamepass will be filled with AA games from Ms until their studios have multiple teams making AAA games. Many of Ms studios are working on multiple projects yet they aren't big enough to handle multiple AAA projects

Phil started talking at VGA 2019 about XSX Sony stayed quite giving Ms free market to themselves yet this is what they have to show for it? Where Sony announces their features in PlayStation blog because their competition can't do anything right and their one event gave all the momentum to ps5 even though at best it was a good not great event(I am a huge PlayStation fan but I can admit when Sony doesn't deliver something Xbox fans need to do and start holding Phil responsible for all the stuff he says instead of praising regardless

[BehindTheRows]

PS4 dominated from the first day, actually, selling 1 million in the US alone!

Otherwise, I mostly agree with what you’re saying.

[neutralgamer1992]

Oh my bad

[sinspirit]

Okay...

But, right now, the game was supposed to be out for the SX launch. Not somewhere mid generation like other Halo games. Don't deflect the importance of this as a launch title.

[crazyCoconuts]

Without it there's little to get real excited about around XSX this holiday. You may be right in that there's enough Xbox gamers/parents that will pick up the next one regardless and it might sell out. And most people aren't like us hanging around talking about Phil lol. But you can't deny it's a bad way to start and if Halo takes another year, that will give Sony more time to make the PS5 story more compelling with HZD, GT, and at least one more surprise.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

360 graphics is incredible hyperbole.

[Father__Merrin]

It was promised to launch with new Xbox by Spencer It was promised to throwback like Xbox og launched with halo 1

[0ldG4m3r]

I don't think releasing it at its current state would have made any difference. The game looks bad.

[GameZenith]

At this point people just want to complain. Why does it matter if this helps or hurts MS? Can we not just be happy that when Halo does come, it would release in a better state than what it would have had it released this year?

Why so much tribalism around games? How does Sony/MS/Nintendo doing bad or good affect our lives and our finances?

MS delays a game. Yes, it will hurt Xbox sales at launch, but why should we care? We should be more happy that they are spending more time to not released a half baked product.

[DragonWarrior19]

It didn't have Halo as a launch game but they came out of the gates announcing Halo 3 as an exclusive game and that was during it's peak so it drew a massive crowd by that alone.

[NeoGamer232]

In a word "No".

The PS5 is already sold out for this year. Fans were committed to buying PS5 when it was first announced there would be a PS5. Sony has a proven track record and fans are buying based on the track record.

[Daeloki]

Why on earth would it?

[RpgSama]

I mean, It can only make it easier for Sony to show value, when the other console has ONLY multiplatform games and maybe a couple of timed exclusives and your console has actual ONLY on PlayStation titles.

[phoenixwing]

lets be honest if there was a halo fanatic wanting to buy a xbox he/she is suddenly not going to go buy a ps5 just because the game got delayed. they'll buy the xbox console and wait for the game to arrive because they're a halo fanatic.

however it doesn't help with the casuals who may have been expecting more games from microsoft but at the end of the day it's only one game and they'll still pick up a xbox if it has features they wanted.

the vast majority that buys playstation consoles will feel vindicated in their purchase though and continue buying them.

anyone on the fence though just got 1 less reason to own a series x

[yomfweeee]

Let's be honest if there is a gamer who isn't an Xbox or PS fan boy and they haven't even decided which console they are going to get first...

No Halo certainly could tilt the decision towards PS5.

[RpgSama]

Exactly, now SOME people will see no reason to be a day one XSX owner, while others might have been on the fence to which console to buy first and the decision was made for them, that can only tilt things in the other direction, Sony's

[Kurt Russell]

I was on the fence. Not anymore.

[DragonWarrior19]

Honestly, I'm a big Halo fan but mainly play on Playstation. The moment they announced Infinite was coming out on Xbox One is when they lost my money for the Series X. I'm hopeful they can pull off making something of a decent Halo after two really bad fumbles but 343i certainly doesn't have much of my faith to warrant buying a possibly $500+ console right away. I'll get it eventually but right now I'll play Halo on XBO.

[yarbie1000]

People think it’s about Halo itself. It’s not.
It’s because Halo is all they had for launch. Now they literally have nothing but 3rd party and old games to carry them. The exact problem they’ve had all last gen.

What has Microsoft been doing??

[ParanoidFreak]

You are right. It's about all the hype coming from MS over the years with little to actually show for it

[Eonjay]

Take a look at the E3 trailer from last year. The slipspace demo. The halo scenes from the power your dreams game awards trailer... And then last gameplay trailer. They are a master class in false advertising.

What they showed at E3 2018:
https://youtu.be/Fmdb-KmlzD...

What they showed in July:
https://youtu.be/HZtc5-syeA...

[talocaca]

They should've delayed it without showing it in such a mediocre state. If they had just said "You know what, we need to make sure it's perfect and the best Halo ever so we need more time" the reaction wouldn't be nearly as bad.

Showing an ultra crappy build after a solid 2 years of hyping it as a game that would set a new standard (now fans saying "Halo has never been about flashy graphics" is laughable).

It will affect them because there is basically no reason to pick a Series X (or any other Xbox console) this year unless you somehow don't have any device that can access GamePass and you really wanna give that a try.

Miles Morales has a lot more potential given Insomniac's track record and it seems like Sony's Next-Gen games will be ready much sooner than Microsoft's (plus their releases on PS4 were absolutely incredible).

That's the real problem here....one game is one game. But Halo Infinite looking like crap and now being delayed is yet another example of Microsoft overpromising and under-delivering....something they've been doing for years.

[Christopher]

Won't affect PS5, just the initial lead-in time for XSX. Honestly, it just means the people who were going to buy an XSX might delay rather than buy day 1, but if they were going XSX over PS5, they still are, IMHO.

[OB1Biker]

I think it will have an impact on the marketting at least. It could also have an impact on the price, on Sony plans since we already know it s had an impact on Ms plan and events like revealing Series S, date, and price which are said to be delayed too.
It may put somehow more pressure on Sony to reveal their price first.

[Christopher]

Nah, they'll just redirect marketing elsewhere. Sure, it won't be Halo, but they'll throw enough money to market it like they have been already.

And, I think this actually alleviated a lot of pressure on Sony at this time, not put more onto them. In fact, people might question the price of XSX more than PS5.

[Atom666]

Agreed. Initial sales will go the same as they would have regardless. Value proposition will be the key early on to sway those in the middle, but if you're wanting PS games, you're buying a PS5 now or later. If you want Xbox games, same thing.

COD will be the best seller on each again too.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

I'm not going to buy a PS5 just because Halo isn't launching this year. I'll just buy the XSX....when I'm ready. The X is chugging along just fine.

[Silly gameAr]

I can only speak for me, but the Series X was never a factor in me getting a PS5. The PS5 could launch with nothing but Spider-Man and a bunch of demos, and I would still get it.

Playstation consoles have always been an investment that pays off in the end.

[TechnoGoat]

No

[CrimsonWing69]

Early adopters will but the console no matter what. At launch it won’t be absurd to see both consoles selling out regardless. However, In the long run, Xsex will need a killer app... I’m not so sure Halo is it based on everyone’s reactions.

[Moquiao]

Darthv72

"To be fair, Halo was never about the flashy graphics. It was about the story, the lore, the fight. That is what has me hyped for it."

Based on the dialogue in the Halo:Infinite trailer you're in for a disappointment, mate.

[Elda]

I've supported all 4 generations of PS consoles & nothing has changed. God willing I'll be getting a PS5 day one.

[Petebloodyonion]

Yes and no!
Yes, it will affect for ppl who were on the fence between a Sx or a PS5.
No, because all consoles (ps5 and SX) will probably be out of stock by end of the year.
Maybe, We still have no information regarding price of console.

[olafu]

Why do people keep saying this? Factually Microsoft shipped 4m Xbox Ones in 2013 nearly one million of those went unsold at the start of 2014. But that’s irrelevant only total sales matter, because they might not both ship the same number of consoles in 2020.

[waverider]

It will be funny when all the ads, commercial, giant pics everywhere for Spiderman on the PS5. Shops full of publicity and microsoft what? gamers are blind if they think that not having Halo at launch isnt a HUGE mistake. Its a monumental mistake. It will be a problem to get a PS5 at launch. No doubt about that. The same wont happend with the Series X. Its that simple. There no hype. Service dont hype gamers to buy new consoles. Blockbuster games do. Spideram, Halo do. The Damage control that some are trying to do is just crazy. Microsoft will again start the next gen with a huge blunder and this time is even in a worst position then last time, because the 360 was a sucess. The Xbox one and, S, X SAD floped.

[Koolaidude]

It will be funny that people are spaying for glorified DLC instead of waiting for the actual Spider-Man. I’ll wait on both to get a game I want to release, because both launches so far look sub par.