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Halo developer says franchise is ‘right here to remain’ after studio ‘hit onerous’ by Microsoft layoffs

Written by Jeff Lampkin

Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries took to Twitter on Saturday to share a short message concerning the franchise’s future. “Halo and Grasp Chief are right here to remain,” 343 mentioned in a press release attributed to studio head Pierre Hintze. “343 Industries will proceed to develop Halo now and sooner or later, together with epic tales, multiplayer, and extra of what makes Halo nice.”

The assertion comes after Microsoft confirmed that it will lay off 10,000 staff earlier than the tip of March. Based on Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, 343 Industries was “hit hard” by the restructuring and misplaced Halo veteran and artistic director Joe Staten – who joined the studio in 2020 to assist deliver Infinite over the end line – to Microsoft’s publishing division. Staten’s reassignment follows a handful of different high-profile departures, together with that of Slipspace Engine lead developer David Berger and 343 co-founder Bonnie Ross. Schreier couldn’t put a quantity to the cuts at 343, however he mentioned Infinite’s marketing campaign staff was notably affected by the cuts. Previous to the layoffs, the studio additionally had a “long-running” hiring freeze in place and had misplaced numerous contractors in latest weeks and months. One former 343 staff member blamed the layoffs on “incompetent management up high.”  

Microsoft launched Halo Infinite in 2021 to generally positive reviews, however the recreation has since struggled to keep up a constant participant base. On Steam, as an illustration, Infinite is at present averaging about 4,000 gamers per day, a steep drop from the 100,000 gamers it was averaging at launch. Greater than a 12 months after the sport’s launch, Microsoft additionally has but to announce new marketing campaign content material for Infinite. Halo followers rightfully have motive to be frightened concerning the franchise’s future.

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About the author

Jeff Lampkin

Jeff Lampkin was the first writer to have joined gamepolar.com. He has since then inculcated very effective writing and reviewing culture at GamePolar which rivals have found impossible to imitate. His approach has been to work on the basics while the whole world was focusing on the superstructures.