After a wave of 10,000-person layoffs at Microsoft that impacted 343 Industries among other Xbox teams, there have been many concerned reports and concerns about the future of the Halo series in the hands of a much-shrunken team. There were rumors. In response to these concerns, Xbox head Phil Spencer reaffirmed that the 343 will remain “extremely important” to Halo’s success.
Speaking to IGN, Spencer congratulated Halo on its initial launch, saying that 343 “did a really good job delivering a great Halo game.” However, he followed up by admitting that they were “not up to our own standards” on the timing and quality of content updates.
“What we’re doing now is structuring the leadership team so that we have the flexibility to build the plans we need,” Spencer continues. “And Halo continues to be very important to what Xbox is doing, and 343 is very important to Halo’s success. In terms of supporting studios and other things, that’s just part of the development, not the other. Our partners help us, but the heart and soul of Halo is with 343 and the team there, and I am there with the utmost confidence in the team leading and the plans they have going forward. I have.”
When asked what future plans entailed, Spencer held off leaving 343 to explain, but said the team still had “some other things, some rumors, some We have an announcement and they are working on it.”
“Halo will always be part of the Xbox lore, part of the foundation of what Xbox is, and will always be one of those things in my mind,” he continued. “As long as Xbox is a platform for people to play on, I expect Halo to continue to support and grow. set it to.”
Speaking more generally about layoffs, Spencer said, “[s] Bearing in mind the impact on individuals, as a business head of creating “safe places where people can do their best work,” the mere fact that layoffs occurred did not mean his success. Admitted.
According to IGN sources, 343 Industries was particularly “hit” by the layoffs, with 30 layoffs in the art department alone, affecting all areas. One source suggested that the studio had been scaled back to just a publishing team, but other conversations with IGN indicated things were on the way, but 343 wasn’t the sole developer of Halo. It may end when it’s gone.
Halo Infinite is It was initially praised at launch for its campaign When Free-to-play multiplayerbut has since attracted criticism for that Controversial progression system, Cancel split screen co-op, Delay to Forge ModeWhen long droughtLost a founder in the past year as it saw a creative and leadership drain since launch Bonnie Ross, Multiplayer Creative Director Tom French, Lead Narrative Designer Aaron Lindeand most recently Joseph Staten, head of creative, who moved to Xbox’s publishing division amid a 343-person layoff.
We spoke with Spencer on many other topics, including the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox’s presence around E3 2023, and the success of HBO’s The Last of Us. Read the full interview here.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. you can find her on her twitter @duck valentine.
