The studio head of Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has announced that the Microsoft-owned studio will continue to develop Halo games despite rumors to the contrary.
in the most recent tweet (opens in a new tab)from Halo’s official Twitter, studio head Pierre Hintze announced: “Halo and The Master Chief will continue to exist. 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and in the future, including epic stories, multiplayer And many more things that make Halo great.”
The statement comes from a disturbing statement from a Halo leaker bathrobe spartan (opens in a new tab) This suggests that 343 has been canceled in Microsoft’s recent string of “active development” for new Halo games. mass layoffswhose role is now filled by third-party studios (via Gamespot (opens in a new tab)).
343 Industries and Starfield developer Bethesda Game Studios have both been hit by Microsoft’s recent layoffs. The tech giant announced 10,000 job cuts as part of an effort to “allocate our capital and talent to areas of long-term growth and long-term competitiveness for the company” following a fragile global economy.
The corporate jargon was difficult to parse, and many feared it would have a detrimental effect on 343 Industries and the future of the Halo franchise. Yet despite these concerns, 343 appears to be holding the helm when it comes to the Halo game.
However, the tweet itself is somewhat vague, not specifying what exactly 343’s future looks like beyond the fact that 343 is Halo-shaped. 343 has made it clear that Infinite will not receive such a sequel, and instead it will be a “new platform” for Halo content, reminiscent of live service games (via IGN). It’s a brave new world for Halo, and only time will tell what it means for fans.
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As someone who loved Halo Infinite, I’ll admit I was relieved to hear that 343 Industries was still pushing ahead with development. While the latest entry in the series suffers from a grueling battle pass, the gameplay on offer earnestly captures the joyful flesh that is so important to the Halo experience. Warthogs bounce happily as they move across Halo Infinite’s battlefield, while Spartans straf and weave in a way that’s reminiscent of the most satisfying arena shooters of the past.
However, Hintze’s statement does beg an important question: Where does the series go from here? Halo Infinite experimented with the open world with the traditional Halo campaign. It’s boldly reminiscent of the more open parts of the original Halo Combat Evolved, while implementing more modern elements of open-world gameplay; such as the usual waypoint-laden maps.
Halo is at a crossroads. Future content patches could herald a return to the more traditional roots of Infinite’s predecessors, or a fresh push for open-world gameplay. Neither move is necessarily a bad thing, but it’s clear that the former will cause the series to stagnate, while the latter could take away from Halo’s original greatness. Whether or not 343 rises to the challenge, it will be interesting to see where the series goes in the years to come.
