The head of Halo developer studio Infinite 343 Industries has announced that the Microsoft-owned studio will continue to develop Halo games, despite rumors to the contrary.
In a recent time tweet (opens in a new tab), from Halo’s official Twitter, studio head Pierre Hintze announced: “Halo and Master Chief will stay here. 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and into the future, including the epic stories, multiplayer, and more that make Halo so great.”
The statement comes after a troubling statement by Halo leaker Spartan Bathrobes (opens in a new tab) that suggests that 343 has been dropped from “active development” of new Halo games after the recent series of hacks by Microsoft big layoffswith roles currently being taken by third-party studios (via Gamespot (opens in a new tab)).
Both 343 Industries and Starfield developer Bethesda Game Studios were affected by Microsoft’s recent layoffs. In the face of a weak global economic situation, the tech giant announced 10,000 job cuts as part of an effort to “allocate both our capital and our talent to areas of long-term growth and viability.” long-term competitiveness for the company”.
This corporate term is difficult to parse, and many fear it will have an adverse effect on 343 Industries and the future Halo series. However, despite these concerns, it seems that 343 still has the edge when it comes to Halo games.
However, the Tweet itself is a bit vague and contains no concrete indication of what the exact future of the 343 will look like other than the fact that it has a Halo shape. 343 has made it clear that Infinite will not receive such a sequel, instead, it will be a “new platform” for Halo content reminiscent of live-serve games (through IGN). It’s a brave new world for Halo, and only time will tell what this means for fans.
New Covenant
As someone who used to enjoy Infinite auraHonestly, I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that 343 Industries was still on the rise. While the latest entry in the series encounters fierce battles, the gameplay offered seriously captures the fun physicality that is central to the Halo experience. Warthogs bounce as they move through the battlefields of Halo Infinite, while Spartans strike and weave in a way reminiscent of the most eye-catching arena shooters of the past.
However, Hintze’s announcement raises an important question: where will the series go from here? Halo Infinite tested the open world based on the traditional Halo campaign. It has a strong feel reminiscent of the more open-minded parts of the original Halo Combat Evolved while implementing more modern elements of the open-world gameplay; such as the usual multiple waypoint map.
Halo is at a crossroads. Future content patches could herald a return to the more traditional roots of Infinite’s predecessors or a new foray into open-world gameplay. Neither move is necessarily bad, but it’s clear that the former can lead to series stagnation while the latter can dilute what made Halo so great in the first place. Regardless of whether 343 rises to the challenge or not, it will be interesting to see where the series goes in the years to come.
