It's not uncommon to see AAA games like Halo Infinite take on brand deals and marketing promotions. Last month, Halo Infinite revealed a partnership with Monster Energy to offer players double XP, as well as the chance to win a brand-new Xbox Series X with the game packaged in. It appears that promotion will be continuing as planned, despite Microsoft announcing a major delay for the highly-anticipated title.
Halo Infinite's delay to an unannounced point in 2021, a result of development issues due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, was revealed earlier this week alongside the official November release window of the Xbox Series X. Even so, Monster Energy put out a Tweet today cheekily remarking that despite public gatherings being cancelled, its Halo Infinite promotion will still be happening.
The "Bank Now, Play Later" system for this promotion was in place prior to the delay, according to Monster Energy's information page that went live July 27. Players will be able to redeem codes found on limited-edition Halo Infinite cans between September 1 and December 31, 2020, and that content will become available once the game releases. In fact, the Q&A portion of the page begins with a message that, "Monster and Halo Infinite are moving full steam ahead with all elements of the promotion."
There are elements of the promotion not specifically related to the delayed title, such as being entered into a sweepstakes for a "zero gravity experience" in Paris, France. However, Monster Energy also assures fans they can receive a download code for Halo Infinite that will be usable "as soon as it releases in 2021," though some still see Halo Infinite's delay as a blow to the Xbox Series X launch this year.
That disappointment by fans who were looking forward to this next-generation title has been addressed by 343 Industries and Microsoft executives. Xbox Head Phil Spencer apologized to Halo fans on Gary Whitta's Animal Crossing: New Horizons talk show this week.
But not everyone has seen the delay as a negative. Many fans have met Halo Infinite's delay with positive reactions on social media sites like Twitter, applauding the developers for being willing to admit they needed more time to make the game enjoyable. There are many improvements 343 Industries could focus on, and hopefully this will make Monster Energy's promotion more worthwhile as a whole.
Halo Infinite is set to release sometime in 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Monster Energy