343 denies TV show is a distraction from Halo Infinite

It was in late July when we got our proper glimpse of Halo Infinite's gameplay during Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase presentation. We were told that the game would be launching alongside the new Xbox Series X, which we now know will come out in November.

But then it happened earlier in August: Halo Infinite got pushed back into 2021. The game was not ready for release. But we also know that Halo Infinite has been in development for a long time, so how is it possible that 343 Industries is not ready to deliver? According to a new report over on Thurrott, an insider has claimed that it was Showtime's upcoming Halo TV series that was a significant distraction for the studio, with the show set to premiere in 2021.

"One insider states that the production of the Halo TV series for ShowTime has been a significant distraction for 343 management. Often times taking their priority instead of focusing on making sure development progress is on the right path to reaching its targeted deadline," the report claims.

However, since that report first emerged, 343 has moved to pour cold water over the suggestion that the leadership team had been distracted by the TV show.

"343 Industries has a devoted transmedia team that is working with Showtime on the creation and production of the Halo TV show. This group is separate from the Halo Infinite development team. These are two completely independent projects with dedicated teams and leadership that do not impact one another," the studio wrote in a statement to IGN.

The original report on Thurrott also mentioned that a big portion of development had been outsourced to third-party studios, with "rough" communications between studios another alleged contributing factor to the delay. As you can see in the studio's response, those claims aren't addressed at all.

Either way, Halo Infinite is due to land on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X at some point in 2021.