It is confirmed, the Halo license will undergo enormous changes while the studio’s workforce has literally melted like snow in the sun before and after Microsoft’s layoffs.
For many months now, Halo Infinite as well as the 343 Industries studio have been experiencing great difficulties and bad news has followed. Behind the scenes, the picture is unfortunately very dark.
A fresh start for Halo and 343 Industries
The tumultuous development of Halo Infinite, which ended with the release of an incomplete game, left its mark within 343 Industries. In a few months, the studio has indeed lost key members like Bonnie Ross – the brains behind the saga -, the technical director David Berger or the creative director of the multiplayer Tom French to name a few.
To these departures, we must add the dismissals of Microsoft which affected in particular Bethesda and 343 Industries. According to an investigation by Jason Schreier, 95 people from Halo Infinite teams were fired. Elements essential to the functioning of the company, whether directors or contractors. Unsure whether she was fired or left on her own, Kiki Wolfkill, head of transmedia for the franchise, is no longer on the staff either and has found another job at Xbox.
Will 343 Industries lose Halo? No. The studio has already issued a press release but Jason Schreier is able to confirm this statement. On the other hand, a radical decision was taken: the abandonment of the Slipspace Engine game engine in favor of the Unreal Engine 5. A major disappointment after all the time and money invested in these tools which were to 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 been a headache for some Halo Infinite developers. Several popular multiplayer modes like Extraction and Assault, which were nearly complete, did not release due in part to engine issues.
Via Bloomberg.
A battle royale and a solo DLC to come?
With the extent of Halo Infinite’s issues and the soft reboot, 343 Industries has no intention of offering any single-player content. The campaign is what it is and it will remain so.
However, a new Halo game is reportedly well in development and will be codenamed “Tatanka”. A project that apparently started as a battle royale, but could “move in different directions”. A still secret title co-developed with Certain Affinity (Halo The Master Chief Collection).
