It’s confirmed that the Halo license will see huge changes while the studio’s workforce has literally melted like snow in the sun before and after Microsoft’s layoffs.
Both Halo Infinite and Studio 343 Industries have been struggling for many months and bad news has followed. Unfortunately, the picture behind the scenes is very dark.
A fresh start for Halo and 343 Industries
The turbulent development of Halo Infinite, which ended with the release of an incomplete game, has left its mark on 343 Industries. Indeed, within a few months, the studio has lost key members such as Bonnie Ross – the minds behind the saga -, technical director David Berger, or multiplayer creative director Tom French, to name a few.
To these departures we must add Microsoft’s layoffs, which particularly affected Bethesda and 343 Industries. According to an investigation by Jason Schreier, 95 employees have been laid off from Halo Infinite teams. Elements essential to the functioning of the company, whether directors or contractors. Not sure if she was fired or left alone, Kiki Wolfkill, Head of Transmedia for the franchise, is no longer with the team and has found another job at Xbox.
Will 343 Industries lose Halo? no The studio has already issued a press release, but Jason Schreier can confirm this statement. On the other hand, a radical decision was made: the departure from the Slipspace Engine game engine in favor of the Unreal Engine 5. A big disappointment after all the time and money invested in these tools that should be perfect for the franchise. But the truth is that the engine was probably very problematic:
Based largely on old code from the 1990s and early 2000s, it’s buggy, difficult to use, and has caused headaches for some Halo Infinite developers. Several popular multiplayer modes like Extraction and Onslaught, which were almost finished, were not released partly due to engine problems.
above Bloomberg.
Are Battle Royale and Solo DLC Coming?
Given the scale of Halo Infinite’s issues and the soft restart, 343 Industries has no intention of offering single-player content. The campaign is what it is and will remain so.
However, a new Halo game is reportedly in development and will be codenamed Tatanka. A project that apparently began as a battle royale, but could “go in different directions”. A still top secret title co-developed with Certain Affinity (Halo The Master Chief Collection).
