343 Industriesis reportedly being removed from active development of theHalofranchise as part of the ongoing layoffs across Microsoft.Halo Infinite, despite initial success, has not seen the long-term support fromHalofans that Xbox Game Studios was hoping for. Not only did live service support at launch feel thin and aggressively monetized, but updates toHalo Infinitesince haven’t proven a compelling reason to give it a new try. Now, perhaps,343 Industrieswon’t be getting another opportunity.
To say that 343 Industries has failed would be an exaggeration. What 343 has had issue with is living up to the expectations set by Bungie and theHalofranchise itself. 343 Industries was formed in 2007 after the announcement thatHalo-developer Bungiewould be splitting from Microsoft. In 2012, 343 released its first main series new release,Halo 4.Halo 5: Guardiansfollowed in 2015, andHalo Infinitein 2021. All of these games were criticized as not capturing the excellence of Bungie’s work, but none were outright seen as poor work.
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When it comes toHalo, however, “just good enough” isn’t enough, it seems. A report from historically reliableHaloleaker Bathrobe Spartan claims thatMicrosoft’s recent mass layoffsare part of a major shift at 343 Industries. 343, no longer seeing single-player content as financially viable and already shopping multiplayer content efforts to partner studios, will no longer serve as the primary developer forHalo. Instead, 343 will serve as an overseer for the franchise, with projects handed off to third-party partners to create.
Bathrobe Spartan says that between layoffs, not renewing external contracts, and shifting developers to other parts of Microsoft, 343 Industries is losing around a third of its staff. The financial needs of the studio are taking priority, while itsefforts to expandHalo’s narrativethrough internal development are being wound down.
As for what this means forHalo Infinite, Bathrobe Spartan says no plans have changed for continued live service support of the game. Season 2 and future content forHalo Infinitecontinue to be worked on by partners including SkyBox Labs, Sperasoft, andCertain Affinity. It’s repeated that continued support forHalo Infiniteand theMaster Chief Collectionare two areas Microsoft and 343 are happy to continue.
TheHalofranchise’s futureis much less clear. In theory, these changes will allow for theHalofranchise to experiment with more numerous smaller-scale projects of different genres. It may not be just a shooter franchise going forward. However, that also depends on which partners are interested inHaloand what their capabilities are. It’s all up in the air. It’s a terrible situation for the team at343 Industries, a decision reportedly made due to finances, and seemingly the end of the studio’s single-playerHaloefforts.
