Halo 4, which launched on Xbox 360 in November 2012, was originally pitched as a launch title for Xbox One. In this month’s episode of IGN Unfiltered (see the full episode below), Ryan McCaffrey sat down with Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, and discussed the history (and alternate histories) of the Halo franchise.
When Ross originally pitched Halo 4, it was set to be a launch title for Xbox One, but when it was decided the game would launch as an “end of life-cycle” Xbox 360 title, a new plan was formed. Halo games take a minimum of three years to build, according to Ross, and moving Halo 4 away from the Xbox One release window created a gap in the launch portfolio of the new console.
Source: IGN.com Halo 4 Originally Pitched As Xbox One Launch Title