343 Industries has issued a brief statement in a bid to quell concerns about Microsoft’s flagship franchise, Halo.
In a brief message, studio head Pierre Hintze said that Halo and Master Chief were “here to stay” and that the 343i team would “continue to develop Halo now and in the future”.
“Halo and Master Chief are here to stay,” Hintz said.
“343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and in the future, including epic stories, multiplayer, and more of what makes Halo great.”
The statement comes after a string of high-profile exits – including Halo Infinite’s multiplayer creative director Tom French and Halo developer at both Bungie and 343 Industries, Joeseph Staten – and Microsoft’s enormous round of layoffs that impacted several Xbox studios, including 343’s Halo Infinite campaign team.
Other recent departures include David Berger, who served as lead developer on Infinite’s ambitious Slipspace Engine technology, and 343’s boss Bonnie Ross, who announced her own exit from the company after 15 years.
As you may well expect, the statement has assured some but only worried others more, with the 1900+ comments on the statement’s Reddit post split: half are supportive, whilst the other half seem frustrated that the franchise isn’t going to be moved to another studio.
Halo Infinite’s next big update is Season 3: Echoes Within, which is expected to go live in March 2023.
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