10 Fan Backlashes That SAVED Video Games
2. Craig The Brute - Halo Infinite
While Halo Infinite is certainly a far-from-perfect game, it nevertheless launched in considerably sturdier shape than it would've had 343 Industries not endured a brutal - if necessary - round of ridicule.
Infinite was originally planned to release in November 2020, but that all changed after Microsoft dropped an infamous gameplay reveal that summer. Players and the press promptly expressed bewilderment at the game's lack of polish and generally underwhelming visuals for a "next gen" title.
Fans drew particular attention to an especially poorly rendered Brute, and a screenshot featuring the enemy quickly went viral, with Internet commentators coming to refer to him as "Craig."
After almost a month of ridicule over Craig and the game's generally lackluster presentation, 343 announced that Infinite was being delayed into an unspecified 2021 date, and was ultimately released in December 2021, over a year after its planned initial release.
But the Craig debacle was basically a blessing in disguise, because it made it emphatically clear to 343 and Microsoft that pushing this thing out in 2020 would've been a massive, brand-damaging mistake.
Shortly before the game's release, Character and Combat Director Steve Dyck admitted that the blowback and subsequent delay were ultimately a good thing for the game:
"The positive outcome of Craig was that he was one of the factors in gaining some more time to finish work and get Brutes to a place where the team is happy with them... This is one of the many positive examples of 343 working with and aligning with the Halo community around expectations."
343 also included a Craig Easter egg in the game's campaign, to prove they could laugh at themselves too.