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[Jigsaah]

Sure, it's quite apparent that something is up, but wouldn't it be reported by Gaming media, Schreier, Twitter (+million retweets and craig memes) etc? This seems like a reach of RDNA 3 level.

I yea I suppose that's possible, unless ReviewTech has some contacts that others don't have. We just don't know.

 

[iconmaster]

Move on? This is where it gets good.

Seriously, I'm pretty sure almost all games go through some form of development hell. Some turn out great in spite of it; others succumb to it. Things don't look promising for Halo right now but the fat Craig has yet to sing.

 

[Jigsaah]

Most western companies are obsessed with control. Its not enough to set rules and guidelines. Give people free room within specific parameters and they will output better results.

I think the general work culture in Japan is way different than the US and western countries as well. They often work 6-7 days a week. For them, it's just a part of life. So what's crunch to us, maybe just another day at the office for Japan.

 

[SlimySnake]

Meh, didnt you read Jason Schrier's article on TLOU2's being in development hell?

14 out of 20 lead designers quit during the development. thats 70%. Several sections were rebooted because focus testers didnt like Abby and the new cast. And yet its arguably the game of the generation.

Even Uncharted 4 lost both its creative director and gameplay director. Turned out to be the big GOTY winner that year. Means nothing really.

I do agree that its time to stop being hyped. If it turns out great then great, but yes, its time to be a bit more cautious. these games are too big to fail, and MS simply wouldnt allow it to become the next Anthem or Crackdown.

 

[TheUsual]

When the Schreier-ing begins, we'll know if it's true.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Even if it's just rampant speculation, remember what we got in the showcase.

This is a game that's going gold soon and out 3 to 4 months, can anyone seriously argue that this hasn't had several development problems?

 

[OptimistPrime]

To me it looked like the concerns are pretty legit considering the details that were explained.

Not too long ago I researched a job extensively on Glassdoor before taking it. There was a lot of negativity on the site about it. Even a consistent narrative began to form among the negative reviews. I took the job anyway and loved it. The reviews pointed to some mild issues that every company faces, but overall it was great.

Its just natural to elevate all of the worst qualities of a company when you're leaving. It's like a breakup.

 

[Silent Viper]

So I was really excited for Halo Infinite as some of you may have been aware. At this point, I'm pretty much done. I really hope this doesn't affect the end result of the game, but at this point getting hyped about Halo doesn't seem smart. I'll be pleasantly surprised if it ends up being awesome. I want Halo to be great, but some of the comments from these ex-employees are really disheartening.

Here's the video, Courtesy of ReviewTechUSA.



Sorry if old.

What happening in studios is not our concerned as gamers. All we should care whether Final game will be good or not. If game is good then all this doesn't matter. So stop overreacting based on YouTube videos and judge the game when its out.

 

[Jigsaah]

Meh, didnt you read Jason Schrier's article on TLOU2's being in development hell?

14 out of 20 lead designers quit during the development. thats 70%. Several sections were rebooted because focus testers didnt like Abby and the new cast. And yet its arguably the game of the generation.

Even Uncharted 4 lost both its creative director and gameplay director. Turned out to be the big GOTY winner that year. Means nothing really.

I do agree that its time to stop being hyped. If it turns out great then great, but yes, its time to be a bit more cautious. these games are too big to fail, and MS simply wouldnt allow it to become the next Anthem or Crackdown.

I feel you man, but look at the specifics of these surveys. They mention "systemic" issues. Not being able to submit new code for weeks at a time. I think the biggest issue for me was the heavy use of contractors. So they don't have a solid studio with people who are dedicated to the franchise. I work in an environment where people work without passion at times. It has a real effect on the enduser.

 

[Spukc]

Skippity bop a dun up!

SWOOOPITY WOOP

 

[Patterson]

Not too long ago I researched a job extensively on Glassdoor before taking it. There was a lot of negativity on the site about it. Even a consistent narrative began to form among the negative reviews. I took the job anyway and loved it. The reviews pointed to some mild issues that every company faces, but overall it was great.

Its just natural to elevate all of the worst qualities of a company when you're leaving. It's like a breakup.

Yes I don't doubt that. I've had similar experiences as well. I think the thing to look for when reading the reviews is to read between the lines and look for any commonality.

 

[pawel86ck]

343i is ruining halo franchise and I'm not just talking about halo infinite. Halo 1 in MCC is still downgraded compared to the original xbox classic version and it tells me everything about quality control in 343i.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

It's not a big deal. Microsoft doesn't want to sell consoles or games anyway.

 

[LostDonkey]

This guy lost all integrity after he got trolled off that other YouTube guy 1316killer iirc, and he came on stream with his shirt inside out lol.

I honestly can't believe he's still got a channel.

 

[Bolivar687]

Microsoft is notorious for its use of contractors but it does seem particularly destructive in a creative endeavor like games. You kind of expect Phil to know that and to take better care of the crown jewel of their developer roster.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Is this guy reliable or making things up based on demo?

From what I have seen, gameplay looks solid as ever. They need to work on graphics for sure. This could be attributed to new engine.

Generally when development falls apart, you never get even half decent gameplay.

 

[Faithless83]

Xbox fans now.

Do we need a video to tell us "development hell"? Wasn't that gameplay enough hint?

 

[Jigsaah]

343i is ruining halo franchise and I'm not just talking about halo infinite. Halo 1 in MCC is still downgraded compared to the original xbox classic version and it tells me everything about quality control in 343i.

343 isn't even mentioned in this video. This is the fault of Gearbox software according to the video. Come on man, at least give it a little bit of effort.

 

[Neo Blaster]

That dude has a full on hate boner against MS so not surprising. Just look at his recent videos

Really? To me he was always nitpicking on Sony and damage controlling for MS and Nintendo.

 

[Dick Jones]

Open world was a mistake. The developers are not experienced in open world or if they want a crack at it then just not use Halo and put that extra pressure on them.

Xbox 1 compatible was a mistake. Don't waste time and resources on a current gen machine. Put everything on the look (tech demo selling the need to upgrade, like Killzone & PS4). If it plays great then even better, but it should have been at least eye candy like Ryse.

The final game will look better than that unpolished mess of a demo but it should have been better. They would have planned for an E3 demo before 2020 went tits up, so they have no excuse for it looking as poor. Get Naughty Dog and Rockstar in to crack that crunch whip or hire serious amount of staff.

 

[Harlock]

Good that 343 workers care about stuff that matters.

 

[kuncol02]

I'll be playing Cyberpunk while I wait for a couple patches.

Don't be so sure. Same things are said about CDP since first Witcher.

 

[Empire Strikes Back]

LOL you say this like Retro Studios have made a game in the past 5 years. Or that Naughty Dog haven't fully restarted development on games before. This is something that just happens with game development, projects just don't turn out like you expect and have to be cut back or in some cases, abandoned altogether. It's not even new, Resident Evil 2 famously had to be completely restarted from scratch.

The issue here is that Microsoft really wants/needs Halo to be ready for launch so they're going to have Halo ready for launch no matter what. I feel for the staff who will be under immense pressure to get the game done by November regardless of how reasonable that is.

This is really a management issue from both 343i and Microsoft, people shouldn't think this don't happen with Sony and Nintendo, or any other big publisher. Not even Sony Santa Monica was immune to those problems when Sony did mass layoffs and cancelled Internal 7. You can notice they clearly had pressure from Sony to deliver something good in the documentary Raising Kratos. Even Shuhei Yoshida trashed some early build of GoW.

Those things are all management and it's pretty clear if people take time to read the reviews in the video, whether they are true or not, these things seems very plausible and can become a snowball in the hands of incompetent people.

 

[Bkdk]

Microsoft should redirect recourses to flight, AOE4, new rise of nations, AOM2 and avowed, also collaborate with gsc gameworld and make them the second biggest game developer other than CDPR in Eastern Europe, disband 343i after halo infinite.

 

[Greeno]

LOL you say this like Retro Studios have made a game in the past 5 years. Or that Naughty Dog haven't fully restarted development on games before. This is something that just happens with game development, projects just don't turn out like you expect and have to be cut back or in some cases, abandoned altogether. It's not even new, Resident Evil 2 famously had to be completely restarted from scratch.

The issue here is that Microsoft really wants/needs Halo to be ready for launch so they're going to have Halo ready for launch no matter what. I feel for the staff who will be under immense pressure to get the game done by November regardless of how reasonable that is.

If I was Microsoft, I'd put the game on hold, fire management, fix the culture of the studio, then restart development. Xbox sales will be hit, there is no doubt about it, but a good Halo game will sell consoles in crazy droves. A bad Halo game will hurt Xbox sales forever. If a Halo game rates 10s and 9s again, it will definitely sell consoles.

 

[VisualFidelity]

Anyone remember Gears 5 E3 showing, where they demo'd escape and how lackluster and uninteresting it was? Everyone bashed Gears until 3 months later, everyone praised the campaign and multiplayer and noted how polished it was. Hoping this will be the case for HI

 

[PresetError]

This is hardly news. Development hell for HALO Infinite has been hinted many many months ago.

Tim Longo - Creative Director of Halo Infinite left 343i in August 2019
Mary Olsen - Lead Producer of Halo Infinite that also took over Tim Longo's role left 343i in October 2019

Halo Infinite is in trouble and people that refuse to see it after that Xbox showcase is in denial.

 

[The Shift]

It's interesting - going by these testimonials there doesn't seem to be a new engine, at all. What became of the Slipspace Engine? Does the project cut over to that in 2 years when they drop XB1 support?

 

[Breakage]

78 posts and no concrete-coloured brute. I am surprised.

 

[A.Romero]

Developing an engine is not an excuse for a poor product. If anything it would show that running the game on a new engine was a bad decision made by management. It's an additional layer of complexity that represents some risks for the development of your flagship product. Does it mean is not enjoyable? Not at all. It can be a good game that simply is not up to par technologically with other first party offerings... But it does represent a lost opportunity of showing of what the most powerful console in the world is capable of.

It's not the end of the road nor it means that XSX is not capable of so much more.... Would they be able to prove it fast enough to steal their competition's thunder? That's what is at risk here right now. They need to show that they are capable of producing high quality content.

Both consoles will be sold out for quite a few months anyway, regardless of what the launch line up is. As a gaming fan I would like Microsoft to have an output as good as their competition. The industry needs some counter balance. I want to see Sony cornered again, motivated to go beyond the bare minimum.

 

[nikolino840]

I believe only if is Schraier to write an article

 

[pawel86ck]

343 isn't even mentioned in this video. This is the fault of Gearbox software according to the video. Come on man, at least give it a little bit of effort.

The thing is 343i should fix what Gearbox has broken many years ago if they would care about quality of their work. Moders working for free and without halo 1 source code have fixed more issues than 343i in their MCC port and that's very telling.

 

[Hudo]

Aren't GlassDoor reviews completely unreliable? Like anyone can easily write a review for any company in essence? While I wouldn't be surprised if development of Halo Infinite hasn't progressed as smoothly as everyone had hoped, I would take what this dude is saying with a grain of salt.

 

[Vawn]

Meh, didnt you read Jason Schrier's article on TLOU2's being in development hell?

14 out of 20 lead designers quit during the development. thats 70%. Several sections were rebooted because focus testers didnt like Abby and the new cast. And yet its arguably the game of the generation.

Even Uncharted 4 lost both its creative director and gameplay director. Turned out to be the big GOTY winner that year. Means nothing really.

I do agree that its time to stop being hyped. If it turns out great then great, but yes, its time to be a bit more cautious. these games are too big to fail, and MS simply wouldnt allow it to become the next Anthem or Crackdown.

It was damn good, but it wasn't even the best PS4 exclusive to release this summer.

 

[Neil Young]

Rich seems harmless. It just feels like he's moving into that Patreon zone where he has to please BOTH sides/everyone. It makes for some milquetoast takes and clickbaity vids.

 

[Golgo 13]

Heeell no!! I think it will easily get a 90+ MC. Will it deserve it? No.

Bruh... halo hasn't gotten a 90 Metacritic in an entire decade. And this looks markedly worse than Halo 5 if the best the studio can do after 5 years and 500+ million is a raggedy, last-gen looking trailer. We're in for some pain here, let's make no mistake about it.

 

[diffusionx]

Employer reviews are much more likely to be made by people leaving a company (either by choice or through being fired). They are useful but should not be considered representative of the typical employee experience.

There's probably grains of truth throughout, but it's almost certainly not as doom and gloom as it's being presented.

This is true, but try looking at Glassdoor for the company you work for, if it's big enough to attract that sort of attention. Having done so in the past, I have found the comments to be generally very fair and pretty accurate. We're not talking about day one Metacritic reviews here.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Really? To me he was always nitpicking on Sony and damage controlling for MS and Nintendo.

He's not super biased. He's just dumb.

 

[THEAP99]

Didn't reviewtech make a video last week saying it was an old build and like try damage controlling ?

 

[Sw0pDiller]

NO
NEED
TO
BE
UPSET...

i mean there was some developer backlash from Naughty Dog in the last couple of months before TLOU2 launched and that game was awesome en well put together. And hey, maybe lord and savior Phil cancels the game so we can all move on and play gears of war 5 again but with higher res on the series x? What's a two year wait for real nex gen games when you have build in BC with HDR for your 360 games huh?

 

[DarkMage619]

I feel you man, but look at the specifics of these surveys. They mention "systemic" issues. Not being able to submit new code for weeks at a time. I think the biggest issue for me was the heavy use of contractors. So they don't have a solid studio with people who are dedicated to the franchise. I work in an environment where people work without passion at times. It has a real effect on the enduser.

How old were these posts made? I thought I saw one from back in January. At the end of the day I wouldn't worry about it. The game will be what it will be and we can all hope it will be good. Sony fan 'concern' isn't genuine.

 

[Plague Doctor]

He recently put out a video defending then so settle down.

Sorry he's not a real fan™

Haven't you heard? If you don't defend everything MS and Xbox related like it was your own family each and every time they mess up, you aren't a real fan. Real fans parrot the newest talking points. Sometimes, make up their own. If you have any criticisms what so ever, that's concern trolling. Always. Fuck your gaming past. Fuck what systems you bought from them and the games you used to love. You are in the tank for Sony if you say shit bad about MS.

 

[pawel86ck]

If I was Microsoft, I'd put the game on hold, fire management, fix the culture of the studio, then restart development. Xbox sales will be hit, there is no doubt about it, but a good Halo game will sell consoles in crazy droves. A bad Halo game will hurt Xbox sales forever. If a Halo game rates 10s and 9s again, it will definitely sell consoles.

Finally someone who gets it. Xbox Series X needs a solid halo game, not bad or even average. There is a potential in halo infinite and it's not like they need to start from scratch.

For example in this video (6m3s) people can see what drastic difference even something simple as music in the right place can make.

 

[nush]

Phil NO! You can all see that right?

 

[Keihart]

343 sounds like the something out of eight mile ♫ everybody from the 343 put your motherfucking hands up and follow me ♫
If this is true, pretty sad to see MS fucking up their studios when you have Sony devs basically praising constantly, for generations now, how they can do whatever in their games (at their own risk ofcourse, and several studios have failed because of it)

 

[GHG]

Phil NO! You can all see that right?

Take your mind out of the gutter.

Nobody wants to see Phil like that.

 

[Klayzer]

Haven't you heard? If you don't defend everything MS and Xbox related like it was your own family each and every time they mess up, you aren't a real fan. Real fans parrot the newest talking points. Sometimes, make up their own. If you have any criticisms what so ever, that's concern trolling. Always. Fuck your gaming past. Fuck what systems you bought from them and the games you used to love. You are in the tank for Sony if you say shit bad about MS.

That's how I feel when an Xbox topic comes up. Its almost like they didn't just have a show and we can't discuss because feelings.

 

[Relativ9]

I mean getting hyped for any release is fundamentally a bad idea. Hype in this context has zero positive net results, its only ever neutral or deminished. Has being hyped for the game ever actually increased its quality to you?

But yeah Halo looks like it's going through some development issues to say the least.

 

[Quezacolt]

Why did you have any hopes at all to begin with? What has 343 done with the franchise that still makes you believe they wont just fuck it up again?

 

[pawel86ck]

Interesting podcast with NX gamer. They talk about halo infinite development issues (1h16m time stamp).