343 Industries, the team behind Halo Infinite, is facing a bunch of major shakeups this week. Halo Infinite had a pretty rough go when it launched in 2021, but most people were in agreement that it was still a good game. There were issues with the in-game progression system, updates took too long to release, key features like co-op were absent for nearly a full year, and so on. It wasn’t great, but fans were hopeful for its future given the game itself was great. With rumors of single-player DLC on the horizon, the future of Halo still looked exciting, but now fans are getting slightly concerned.
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Earlier today, it was revealed that Microsoft was undergoing significant layoffs which would also impact Xbox teams like Bethesda Game Studios and 343 Industries. At the time, it was unclear just how much this would impact things, but we’re starting to get a better picture now. As reported by Bloomberg, Halo Infinite creative director and all around Halo veteran Joseph Staten is departing from the studio to go work at Xbox publishing. While he will still be under the Xbox umbrella, he will not be leading the charge on the future of Halo. State re-joined 343 Industries in 2020 to get the game across the finish line after some concerning setbacks and is credited for getting the game into good shape. In an email to 343 staff, studio head Pierre Hintz noted that the company had to make some difficulty decisions to restructure the team, resulting in some roles being eliminated. It was noted they’d continue to support the multiplayer and live service elements of Halo Infinite, which may mean there is no campaign DLC on the way for the game.
As of right now, it remains to be seen what will come of the future of Halo. The series has been in a constant state of flux since the early to mid 2010s. It’s unknown if another Halo game is in the works right now or if Infinite is the indefinite future of the franchise for the time being.
What do you think of the state of Halo? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
