343 Industries has committed to continuing to work on top franchises like Halo and Master Chief.
According to Engadget development studio, Halo recently shared a brief message about the future of the game: ” Halo and Master Chief will still stay.” This statement is attributed to Pierre Hintze, head of studio 343 Industries.
In addition, there was also another message that was added later that 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo both now and in the future, especially things that make the game even better like other games. Epic story and multiplayer possibilities.
This statement comes after Microsoft confirmed it would lay off more than 10,000 employees by the end of March.
According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, 343 Industries has been hit hard by the restructuring process and has lost former creative director Joe Staten to Microsoft’s game publishing division. Staten’s re-appointment comes after a number of big names left the company, including David Berger, chief developer of the Slipspace Engine, and 343 Industries co-founder Bonnie Ross.
Schreier couldn’t give specific numbers for the cuts, but he said Halo Infinite‘s campaign team was particularly affected by it. Prior to the layoffs, the studio had also suffered a long-term layoff and lost a lot of contractors in recent weeks and months.
Microsoft released Halo Infinite in 2021 to generally positive reviews, but the game has since struggled to maintain a steady player base. On Steam, for example, Infinite currently averages around 4,000 players per day, down from 100,000 at launch.
More than a year after the game was released, Microsoft has yet to announce the content of a new campaign mode for Infinite. Halo fans have every reason to worry about the future of the franchise.