The past few months have been difficult for Microsoft’s 343 Industries, with mass layoffs and veteran developers leaving the studio. This resulted in an effective 343 Industries reboot of sorts, and the Halo franchise is set to receive some significant changes in the future.
According to a Bloomberg report, at least 95 people from 343 industries were affected by Microsoft’s layoffs, effectively hollowing out the company. Some of these developers were likely the same ones who worked on Halo’s Unreal Engine prototypes, as reported last year. This is an interesting development considering that the 343’s own Slipspace engine was said to be part of the reason why the popular Extraction and Assault game modes never made it to Halo Infinite.
Questions have been raised about 343’s role in the Halo franchise moving forward due to layoffs and key character departures, but it looks like the studio will continue to work on Halo for now. 343 has stated that it will continue to make Halo games following negative press surrounding the company, and Xbox CEO Phil Spencer reiterated this in an interview with IGN.
Still, with fewer developers at 343 to work on Halo, the studio reportedly decided to rely on outside support. The upcoming Tatanka game mode that was reported last year will be made alongside Certain Affinity, a Texas-based game studio.
With the rest of the 343 Industries team left to build on one of the greatest FPS franchises in history, and Xbox’s commitment to keeping the franchise alive, this soft reset should provide the opportunity to let Halo return to its prime.
source: Bloomberg