Halo developer 343 Industries says Master Chief and Cortana are under its roof, but reports of Halo’s deep development staff cuts raise questions about the ability to sustainably grow Halo content in the future. the future of the studio.
This story started last week, when we learned that Halo studio affected via Microsoft plans to lay off 10,000 employees. Since the news broke, speculation has been rampant about Microsoft’s plans for its flagship franchise, including rumor that Microsoft could transfer the entire Halo development process to another studio, leaving 343 Industries more of a producer. These rumors prompted 343 Industries to speak up over the weekend to quell the rumors.
Studio Head of 343 Industries, Pierre Hintze shared a message on Halo’s official Twitter accountwrote, “Halo and Master Chief are here to stay. 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and into the future, including epic stories, multiplayer, and more of what makes Halo so great,” wrote. .”
– Halo (@Halo) January 21, 2023
But for a studio that has struggled to meet endless halo release date many times, can the recently shrunk 343 continue to handle the development of the big-budget, AAA first-person shooter franchise? Hard to say.
IGN reached out to Xbox representatives, but received no comment prior to publication.
‘Hit strongly’
IGN learned that 343’s Halo development team had been cut down significantly. One former 343 employee affected by the layoffs estimated that about a quarter of 343 employees were affected, although that is not a definitive statistic. We are also told that 343’s arts department alone has laid off about 30 people, with former employees saying that 343 Industries has been hit “severely with impacted positions across all sectors. area.”
Meanwhile, at least one high-level source with knowledge of 343’s internal workings, but no longer working for the studio, has stated to IGN that they are being assigned to the publishing team. However, based on conversations IGN has had with knowledgeable sources, the situation in 343 appears to be ongoing and there is growing belief – if unconfirmed – that 343 will not was the sole developer of Halo when it was resolved.
A glance at the LinkedIn profiles of other laid-off employees shows people working on Halo Infinite’s engine, presentation, VFX, games, game design, and other essential parts. It’s clear that 343 is a dramatically different studio from just seven days ago. Additionally, 343 Industries has had to deal with increasing difficulties launching a live-service game, with a whirlwind of ups and downs in the past year since the initial release of Halo Infinite.
Despite a strong debut in late 2021 with much praise for Infinite’s take over the new Halo campaign and franchising first free multiplayer, cracks quickly began to appear. Fans immediately pushed back against Infinite’s controversial multiplayer development systemlike 343 rushes to fix the shop and cross the border.
But the problem doesn’t stop there, with cancel split screen co-op, prolonged delay for Forge . Modeand long-term content drought in the first season of Halo Infinite. Just five months after what appeared to be the beginning of Halo’s big return, the community has run out of patience.
343 quickly saw a creative exodus after its debut, with 343 founder Bonnie Ross, Multiplayer creative director Tom Frenchand lead narrative designer Aaron Linde all leave the company in 2022.
Patrick Wren, a former senior multiplayer designer now working on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, gave his high praise for the 343’s leadership in a Twitter post.
“The layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened and Halo Infinite should be in better shape. The reason for both of those is the poor leadership during the development of Halo Infinite, which caused great stress. to those who are working hard to make Halo the best it can be,” Wren wrote.
The layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened and Halo Infinite should be in better shape. The reason for both is that the poor leadership in the development of Halo Infinite puts a great deal of stress on the people who are working hard to make Halo the best it can be.
– Patrick Wren (@Witdarkstar) January 19, 2023
Along with those departures, 343 is facing another creative void at the top, with Halo Infinite director Joseph Staten leaves 343 to rejoin Xbox publishing. Staten’s return to Halo was always designed to be a provisional arrangementbut his departure still worries Halo followers.
Regardless of what happens to Halo in the future, it’s clear that original 10-year plan for Halo Infinite did not turn out exactly as Microsoft had hoped. Present, Halo Infinite Season 3: The Echo Inside will still start in early March, adding new maps, modes, and weapons to the game.
Additional reporting by Kat Bailey.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN on video games and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the games industry with sub-lines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
