Whatever your opinion Halo infinity, you can be sure that you will not suffer any financial damage for the broadcast. The same cannot be said for one of the best gloriole Gamer on the planet who was recently fined after voicing some harsh criticism of the game’s over-the-top Season 2 update.
Last week developer 343 Industries rolled out the second season for its free-to-play multiplayer shooter, Halo infinity. Players praised the headline-grabbing additions (A sweet new card! A bunch of cool cosmetics! A Battle Royale… ish!), but the patch itself drew a lot of criticism. For one thing, it wiped out a whole bunch of high-level movement techniques. On the other hand, a bug was introduced that causes weapons to be blocked.
Feedback came quickly, with some of the world’s best players blow up the changes. Some were upset by the removal of shortcuts for traversing multiplayer maps – tricks that pro players have built into their tactics since launch. Others were upset with the removal of speedrunning exploits, which are now accepted strategies. These came in addition to larger concerns about the game’s inability to track player progress in the Battle Pass. See you on Friday, 343 confirmed the patch’s missteps
Continue reading: Halo infinity Just can’t take a break
Some of the most colorful feedback came from Tyler “Spartan” Ganza, a pro gloriole Halo Championship Series (HCS) league player signed with the eUnited team. Ganza isn’t just known for playing under what is arguably the most coveted callsign of a pro gloriole Player. He also has a solid track record. At last month’s HCS Kansas City Major Event, eUnited placed fourth. Ganza himself was also selected as a contender for the tournament’s All-Star Game on the team led by Tommy “Lucid” Wilson. (They have won.)
“My gun is fucking jammed, the motion is shaky, I can’t turn off the speed lines. Who the heck approved this update lmao,” he tweeted on Wednesday, a day after the Seas on 2 update rolled out. “Sir. I love the game but this has to be the worst update yet. Removing things no one asked to remove, adding things no one asked. This is just confusing at this point. I really can’t 343 defend, that’s just a fat damn L.”
Many of Ganza’s other statements — and interactions with other non-professional players on social media — on Wednesday struck a similar note.
“Fined, Kekw [sic]. I want to take this moment to apologize,” Ganza said tweeted on Thursday. “Absolutely nobody. I stand by everything I said.”
It’s not clear which specific statement triggered the fine or why he’s the only pro gloriole Player receiving official punishment after season 2’s bumpy rollout as he’s far from the only pro speaking out against the changes. Representatives from 343 Industries declined to comment on the story.
“He thinks it’s the criticism of the game, but he doesn’t exactly understand the tweet, the comment, or the specific incident,” said attorney Nate Drexler and a representativeEssential for Ganza, narrated my box in a phone interview.
Drexler didn’t say exactly how much the fine was, although he noted that it was a “comparable” number to what Ganza had personally paid out of pocket at HCS Kansas City. (Ganza spent $1,600 to help amateur players compete in the event.) Under the Code of Conduct for HCSFines for “egregious obscenity” range from $1,000 to $2,000.
In the past few days, the gloriole The community is divided on whether or not a fine is a just punishment. The folks at HaloHub, a community-run site based on gloriole news and player stats, accepted that Ganza used some “choice of words” but said 343 handing out the fine was “bad looks”.
These comments sparked debate on social media in the comments. On the one hand there are people who say that Ganza is part of a professional organization and is therefore bound by the rules of that organization. He is also said to have signed a contract. Rules are rules. If IRL pro athletes need to follow them, so do pro athletes. On the other hand, however, you’ll find people saying that the paperwork can go to hell. If a studio has to hide behind a contract to protect itself from criticism from its most high-profile figures, perhaps there are other things (aka the design choices) that deserve closer scrutiny.
The pro community has largely sided with Ganza.
“Actually, nothing but respect for helping so many get to the event. I don’t know what the fine was for, but I hope it wasn’t too much,” said Paul “Snakebite” Duarte, a member of gloriole esports team Sentinels, tweeted. Emil Ekman, a professional player for the European team Frostbite, called his deeds “heroic”. Here’s another tweet from eUnited’s Jen “Echidna” Hal that made me laugh: a meme featuring Ganza in Photoshop in Skyrim next to a dialogue tree with three options, one of which says “Good (pickpocket level 20)”.
Meanwhile, Ganza has spent the last few days Leave a Comment “fine” on posts by other pros criticizing the Season 2 updates.
“Tyler is a passionate and emotional person [who’s] been playing this game his whole life. He wants to be the best at it,” said Drexler. “Tyler has made it clear that he will not apologize for his statements and he still stands by it. His remarks, whether in jest or in outright sincerity, reflect his desire to have a game that isn’t broke and is pro-ready… When he’s playing a game that’s not where it should be, that’s how he feels strong [that] he should give his opinion on it.”
