July 15th 2024.
The once dominant force in the world of Halo, 343 Industries, seems to be losing its hold on the franchise. The aftermath of the release of Halo Infinite has caused a major stir within the company, leading to doubts about their future involvement with the series.
Despite Halo Infinite being hailed as the best game in the series developed by 343 Industries, it quickly lost its place in the multiplayer shooter conversation due to lack of support after launch. Some former employees of 343 have pointed fingers at Xbox management for the game's failure. This was followed by the company experiencing mass layoffs in 2023. In fact, well-known Halo insider Bathrobe Spartan even suggested that 343 may be completely removed from active development of the franchise, with their focus shifting towards overseeing projects by third party studios.
Recently, this same insider took to Twitter to share his insights on the current state of affairs at 343. In a thread, he revealed that the studio has undergone significant downsizing in the past year. According to Bathrobe Spartan, who spoke to 12 ex-employees, there are now less than 280 people working at 343 as of May 2024, with an additional 50-60 people being let go on top of the previous layoffs. Shocking, to say the least.
Out of the remaining employees, only 30% are still working on game content production, while the rest are primarily in business-oriented roles or producers. It seems that most of the employees have been redirected to other projects within the Xbox studio, with the majority of Halo Infinite's content being handled by contracted studios. This is reportedly due to a new production method at 343, which involves hiring lead positions for concept and pre-production phases, and then outsourcing the actual work to other studios, similar to what they did with Halo Wars 2 and Creative Assembly.
It's evident that the situation at 343 is a cause for concern. The insider claims that the studio is currently working on two projects with contracted studios, both in the pre-production phase. One of these projects is said to be a PvP-oriented game, in line with Halo Infinite's legacy, while the other might be a remake of the original Halo. However, according to the insider's sources, these projects won't be ready for release for at least another two years.
This change in approach is seen as a cost-effective way to ensure a steady pace of content production in the future, in order to avoid repeating the delays that plagued Halo Infinite. It's been revealed that the game did not meet its commercial goals, resulting in the cancellation of future content, beyond what was already outsourced to other studios. This includes the delayed addition of Forge, which was finally released a year after the game's launch.
While 343 has not officially commented on the situation, it's known that they were heavily affected by the Xbox layoffs earlier this year. Furthermore, since the release of Halo Infinite in 2021, they have not announced any new projects. Despite making a strong showing at Summer Game Fest, Microsoft has been facing some challenges lately, especially with the confusion surrounding the changes to Xbox Game Pass. However, they have hinted at a big reveal at Gamescom next month.
Ultimately, the failure of Halo Infinite to reach its full potential begs the question: who is to blame? As always, we are eager to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email us, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign up for our newsletter. You can also submit your letters and features more easily through our Submit Stuff page.
In other news, a Microsoft insider claims that the company will no longer be promoting Xbox consoles in Europe. Additionally, a new Xbox ad has been released, seemingly trying to discourage potential buyers from purchasing a console. And finally, Xbox Game Pass has made some changes, no longer offering day one releases and raising prices for their standard tier. Stay tuned for more exclusive gaming content and the latest releases before they hit the site by signing up for our newsletter. Your privacy is important to us, and you can read our Privacy Policy for more information. This site is also protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
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