Support NeoGAF

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ergoing-reorganization-of-halo-game-franchise

Text:

Microsoft Corp. says it’s going to keep making new games in the popular Halo franchise at its prized 343 Industries studio — despite rumors to the contrary. But after a leadership overhaul, mass layoffs and a host of big changes, the outfit is all but starting from scratch.

The Redmond, Washington-based 343 Industries released its latest game, Halo Infinite, in December 2021 to widespread critical acclaim. It was seen as a redemption story for a title that suffered multiple delays, endless development problems and a merry-go-round of creative leads. But in the months that followed, fans turned against the game, complaining about a thin road map and the slow rollout of features that had been expected on day one. At the same time, 343 was seemingly losing staff by the week and went through a major leadership change last fall that led some employees to brace for a reorganization.

The ax fell in mid-January when Microsoft announced mass layoffs and 343 Industries was hit hard. While Microsoft declined to provide specific figures, at least 95 people at the company have lost their jobs, according to a spreadsheet of affected employees reviewed by Bloomberg. The list named dozens of veterans including top directors and contractors, upon which the studio heavily relies. Those temporary employees were given just a few days’ warning before their contracts came to an end, according to people familiar with the process, asking not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

The cuts led to rumors that 343 would farm out development of the Halo series to other game companies. Matt Booty, head of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios, said in an interview that “343 will continue as the internal developer for Halo and as the home of Halo.” Internally, Booty has assured 343 staff that even as they work with outside partners and outsourcing houses, they will remain in charge. Questions remain, however, about the fate of the Halo franchise as the studio is hollowed out and makes big changes to how it develops games.

Chief among them is a pivot to a new gaming engine, the suite of tools and technology used to make video games. The studio’s own engine, known publicly as Slipspace, has been one of the biggest points of contention over the past two decades. Based largely on old code from the 1990s and early 2000s, it’s buggy and difficult to use and has been the source of headaches for some developers on Halo Infinite, people familiar with the development said. Several multiplayer modes that are nearly finished, such as Extraction and Assault, both popular in previous Halo games, have yet to be released in part because of issues involving the engine, they said.

At several points over the past decade, management at 343 debated switching to Epic Games Inc.’s popular Unreal Engine. But it wasn’t until late last year, when previous studio head Bonnie Ross and engine lead David Berger departed and Pierre Hintze took over, that the firm finally decided to pivot to Unreal. This switch will start with a new game code-named Tatanka, according to people familiar with the plans. That project, which 343 is developing alongside the Austin, Texas-based game studio Certain Affinity, started off as a battle royale but may evolve in different directions, the people said. Future games in the series will also explore using the Unreal Engine, which may make development easier, although internal skeptics are worried that the switch may have a negative impact on the way Halo games feel to play. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on issues with the engine or on the company’s plans to pivot to Unreal.

Since Halo Infinite was released, fans had assumed that in addition to new multiplayer modes, 343 was working on new content for the story. But that wasn’t the case, according to the people familiar with the situation. Developers were making prototypes in the Unreal Engine and pitching ideas for new Halo games rather than working on new missions for Halo Infinite. Many of those developers were laid off this month and the company isn’t actively working on new story content, the people said. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment.

In the eyes of some observers and former 343 employees, the reorganization was a long time coming. The studio, which was founded in 2007 to inherit Halo after Microsoft parted ways with original developer Bungie, has struggled through many challenges, including the release of several polarizing games. Patrick Wren, a former 343 designer, said on Twitter that the job cuts and the state of the Halo franchise overall are the result of “incompetent leadership up top” during Halo Infinite’s development that led to “massive stress on those working hard to make Halo the best it can be.”

Microsoft once promised that Halo Infinite would be “the start of the next ten years for Halo,” but its recent moves point to a shorter-term vision. In an email to staff following the layoffs, Hintze wrote that the current plan for 343 is to support “a robust live offering” for Halo Infinite and its Forge level creator and “greenlighting our new tech stack” for future Halo games while also “bringing Halo to more players through more platforms than ever before.”

 

[GhostOfTsu]

Since Halo Infinite was released, fans had assumed that in addition to new multiplayer modes, 343 was working on new content for the story. But that wasn’t the case, according to the people familiar with the situation. Developers were making prototypes in the Unreal Engine and pitching ideas for new Halo games rather than working on new missions for Halo Infinite. Many of those developers were laid off this month and the company isn’t actively working on new story content, the people said. A Microsoft spokesman dec

So that was it? What about all the Biomes?

 

[feynoob]

Give the IP to someone else's and let 343i make a different game.

 

[Pelta88]

The fact that 343 still has its hand in Halo is the worst possible news for the franchise and it's fans.

 

[reksveks]

More UE, should have just done it years ago.

 

[Hobbygaming]

I now question the validity of this article seeing how they were wrong about the PSVR 2 production halt

 

[clarky]

Give the IP to someone else's and let 343i make a different game.

They literally fired everyone involved. This is as close to giving to someone else as your going to get.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

 

[jm89]

RIP Slipspace any closing comments SenjutsuSage

 

[a multicultural team of v]

I'm really excited to eventually find out what exactly has to happen for 343i to get kicked off Halo. We are at the point now where it would have to be the most colossal and spectacular fuckup in gaming history. I'm not convinced even burying a million copies of Halo in the ground ET style would get them removed at this point.

 

[Punished Miku]

This is what they need to do. Get someone from Bethesda FPS studios over there to lead it. Redo the whole development pipeline. Keep the staff that can be kept and just retrain with a new system.

 

[Swift_Star]

What they should do is reboot this whole series.

 

[XXL]

I now question the validity of this article seeing how they were wrong about the PSVR 2 production halt

 

[therealmoonface]

Multiplayer has been strong in H5: Guardians and Halo Infinite, this is probably the route to go. The content pipeline for the Gaas side could be attributed to the resources being diverted to the SP side, though this is just wild speculation. While I really did enjoy the HI campaign, this is probably for the best. Though I do hope for more SP adventures in the future, whatever form those take.

 

[Magic Carpet]

How much does it cost to remove the name 343 from all the stationary, signs, pens, posters, telephone directories, Email, Twitter, Facebook, EVERYTHING.
Pay it whatever it costs. Get that number out of here.

 

[Punished Miku]

How much does it cost to remove the name 343 from all the stationary, signs, pens, posters, telephone directories, Email, Twitter, Facebook, EVERYTHING.
Pay it whatever it costs. Get that number out of here.

Change it to Punished 343, with Craig behind the logo with an eye patch.

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

I wonder if they built something like a level or sand box with objectives in UE 5 to convince the rest of the team to go with UE?
If that’s the case, I’d loooove to see that.

 

[Ozriel]

The fact that 343 still has its hand in Halo is the worst possible new for the franchise and it's fans.

Shit take.
Veterans still working on the game - without the baggage of a creaky old engine - is the best possible outcome.

I now question the validity of this article seeing how they were wrong about the PSVR 2 production halt

‘Bloomberg’ doesn’t write articles. Journalists do.
Jim Schreier is a weasel, but at least he’s reliable and does his homework. Not to mention he certainly demonstrated in the past that he has sources inside 343.

 

[bitbydeath]

Developers were making prototypes in the Unreal Engine and pitching ideas for new Halo games rather than working on new missions for Halo Infinite.

No wonder they got fired, how can a company let its employees go rouge like that?

 

[ResilientBanana]

Certain Affinity needs to take it on.

 

[IDKFA]

What happened to Infinite lasting ten years?

 

[Punished Miku]

What happened to Infinite lasting ten years?

It's toast. They got a good game out and then collapsed on the finish line.

 

[Crispy Gamer]

That's pretty nuts and explains the firing of so many people this change is costly

 

[Dick Jones]

What happened to Infinite lasting ten years?

Dog years and yes it reached it.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

What happened to Infinite lasting ten years?

Microsoft: Infinite will last 10 years*.

* 10 years in dog years

 

[Mephisto40]

I predicting they'll do a Halo 1 remake, because a remake is all this studio can be trusted to do

 

[Punished Miku]

I predicting they'll do a Halo 1 remake, because a remake is all this studio can be trusted to do

That's actually a good way to get a team used to a new milestone and development pipeline and new engine. Just set a small project goal and do it.

 

[Iced Arcade]

Enjoyed Infinite but no one can deny they bullshitted fans to death.

Changing weather effects, constant content making it a 10 year game, slipspace sold as a massive completely new engine etc.

Retire the dated Bungie engine and move on.

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

If Jez leaked the name Halo/TaTanka a year ago. How long before the leak of the name did they start doing this?
A year ago would’ve put the game at only 2 months after release.

It’s almost like the company went unchecked for years. You would think with all the criticism Halo 5 got the structure of the company would have become tighter and stricter with weekly progression updates, sit-reps on what every personnel at 343i is working on and updating their work weekly with their supervisor. Talk about a massive oversight.

The only thing that makes sense is that Phil was being lied to with fabricated work.

 

[Forsythia]

It might be for the best. In my opinion, they should just reboot the series. An actual remake of part 1 (think RE2) and go on from there.

 

[vj27]

I now question the validity of this article seeing how they were wrong about the PSVR 2 production halt

The only thing that doesn’t add up to me is the tatanka br mode being in unreal. I mean it’s certainly plausible but I was under the assumption that it was being made in the slip space engine since tatanka originally got revealed/named through datamining infinite. And for all the leaks and Rumors there were already, made it sound like it’s pretty damn close to being done all this time since infinites launch. If they decided to switch engines then midway then I doubt it’s ready, hell even Phil spencer was hinting at tatanka recently during that ign interview, just doesn’t add up to me. Could still be UE but like, if they’ve been developing this for years already, why? Could’ve just made infinite in UE to have better synergy between the two.

 

[DragonNCM]

So that was it? What about all the Biomes?

 

[LordCBH]

Change the fucking studio name. Consumers will see the 343 branding as a black mark.

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

It might be for the best. In my opinion, they should just reboot the series. An actual remake of part 1 (think RE2) and go on from there.

I’m totally down for this, you got the skeleton now put some new flesh on it.

 

[Kvally]

Since I know ZERO about building games or engines, how would that work? I assume they can't just open up Unreal Engine, go to File > Import > Slipspace Engine Game and have it convert? Wouldn't they have to literally start from scratch and recreate all the assets? Or maybe it doesn't work that way?

If they have to start over, wouldn't that mean we won't see another campaign or related DLC for like 5 years or more?

 

[Riky]

If true then the Certain Affinity game will be on UE5, which is good news as many MS first party studios are using it from Avowed to Perfect Dark and Hellblade 2. Also with the Coalition having input on the engine the next gen technologies inside the Series consoles will get used. Halo Infinite will stay on the current engine and get updates for online play.

The main team should then start the next mainline Halo game on UE5 also.

 

[caligula13]

Bloomberg? I don't trust them today.

 

[ByWatterson]

343 has had to "start over" several times - but this is the first time with all-new leadership.

$10 says Microsoft later absorbs Certain Affinity, gives them the reins, and merges them into 343 under combined CA and 343 leadership.

 

[FBeeEye]

So that was it? What about all the Biomes?

There was a reason they weren't there from the start. The engine probably made it more difficult and they had to severely limit the scope of the game. At this point, they should just scrap it an move on. It sucks because I was looking forward to many campaign expansions.

Watch the next game be that Chief was in a coma/simulation created by Cortana after the events of Halo 3. The simulation was created to keep Chief's mind and muscles active during the long cryo sleep so that he's battle ready.

So basically 343 is resetting their reset. Bad management will do that to you. If 343 was smart, they'd make a game that coincides with the TV show much like Quantum Break did. You basically play parts of the show that they don't see.

 

[Flabagast]

How could this be GAF's GOTY ? Are you mad, guys ?

 

[Punished Miku]

How could this be GAF's GOTY ? Are you mad, guys ?

The game is fun. Literally one of the best FPS I've ever played, personally. But it failed at the ongoing service. I didn't vote it GOTY but it won the vote. I didn't agree with the winners this year either.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Get someone from Bethesda FPS studios over there to lead it.

No, Halo needs to retain the distinctive feel and not be watered down to a Bethesda FPS project

I hope these changes are for the best. Sometimes you just got to rip the bandaid off

 

[EverydayBeast]

Eventually every game gets a new engine there hasn’t been that much change between halo 1 and halo infinite.

 

[Punished Miku]

No, Halo needs to retain the distinctive feel and not be watered down to a Bethesda FPS project

I hope these changes are for the best. Sometimes you just got to rip the bandaid off

I don't need it to feel like a Bethesda game. I just want them to run the company culture, development and milestone pipeline like a functioning FPS studio.

 

[FBeeEye]

Eventually every game gets a new engine there hasn’t been that much change between halo 1 and halo infinite.

It was the same engine marketed as some brand new image. Bonnie was a BS artist milking that pussy pass.

 

[Kvally]

Bloomberg? I don't trust them today.

I don't trust them ANY day. Not with Xbox news. Not with Sony news. Bloomberg just reported that Sony cut VR shipments in half. Sony debunked it apparently. Jason and his colleagues are Kotaku and Forbes wannabes.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

Good. I liked the singly player of Halo Infinite but 343i really squandered a lot of early good will from consumers. The game was a certified hit and launch but it died out quick and it's entirely because they devs kept shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[Kvally]

pussy pass.

 

[KingT731]

It's toast. They got a good game out and then collapsed on the finish line.

When was this? The campaign was was ass and the mp died within a month.

 

[Punished Miku]

When was this? The campaign was was ass and the mp died within a month.

When it came out and got reviewed. The MC score isn't "ass." The GAF GOTY win should also be a clue that not everyone agreed with your take on it.