• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Outsourcing and TV to Blame for Halo Infinite Woes

SCB3

Member
This seems to be the original article https://www.thurrott.com/games/239188/a-closer-look-at-halo-infinites-turbulent-journey#

For years there has been talk of issues with the management at 343. It isn't surprising to be hearing what we are now.

Sucks because there is so much Halo left. I know a lot of people wondered how they were gonna move past Halo 3, and then Halo 5 lol. But keep in mind that Reach and Combat Evolved both take place at the very end of the war with the Covenant. There is so much that only the books are touching on.

Doing a game with Chief in his early days would be epic. Johnson was there after Harvest. Hell Johnson was one of the first Spartans.

There is so much they can do. Create another studio to handle something else Halo, or just get a studio.

But the Halo output and overall quality from 343 hasn't been what it needs to be.

I think at this point, it isn't the Xbox One holding back Infinite (doubting Infinite was supposed to be next gen at this point), nor is it COVID-19, it is the management of 343 imo.


Fuck it, pay Bungie to develop it alongside Destiny, at least itll get done
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Outsourcing is not uncommon, however this situation sounds like they were trying to bite off more than they could chew. Just flinging Halo's BDE all over the place in hopes that it lands everywhere perfectly.
 
Outsourcing is not uncommon, however this situation sounds like they were trying to bite off more than they could chew. Just flinging Halo's BDE all over the place in hopes that it lands everywhere perfectly.
Yeah I've seen that comment in gaming for years. Although I do believe I read recently that those outsourced workers thought the studio was a mess.

That is why we need people like you to sort the drama news. Otherwise we react without the experienced knowledge.
 
Last edited:

MiguelItUp

Member
Yeah I've seen that comment in gaming for years. Although I do believe I read recently that those outsourced workers thought the studio was a mess.

That is why we need people like you to sort the drama news. Otherwise we react without the experienced knowledge.
I totally believe that. I mean, I'd honestly really like to know more about what went on between those walls. I don't understand how a studio could hold a series so loved by many, and handle it so incredibly poorly. It's impressive really, well, and very scary, lol.
 

Vawn

Banned
The E3 2019 trailer was outsourced as they didn't have stable gameplay they could show off.

Seriously? That's messed up. That goes beyond just misleading.

How much do you want to bet the same is true with other main first-party Xbox games such as Fable?
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
Master chief to big to be in a game. He is ready for Hollywood, tried to get written out of part five
 
I totally believe that. I mean, I'd honestly really like to know more about what went on between those walls. I don't understand how a studio could hold a series so loved by many, and handle it so incredibly poorly. It's impressive really, well, and very scary, lol.
It must be frustrating for the people below the top management. I've never questioned their passion and love for Halo. And I guess I don't question the top peoples love for Halo either, just their leadership.
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
How many of you wish that Halo was still in the hands of Bungie? Or do you have faith in 343?

Didn’t really play the old halo games but destiny is the best FPS out there so give back to bungie. Played halo 4 and 5 and they ok but nothing grand. If they didn’t fall into the genre I like (sci-fi FPS) prob would have passed.
 
Last edited:

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
This isn't just outsourcing parts of the game. It sounds like they paid a completely seperate developer to make something that would look like cool next-gen Halo gameplay, so they could pass it off as such, meanwhile the real Halo is completely unrelated and looked like.... well, we know what it looks like now.
Sounds like what Sony did with Deep Down in 2013. Showed a cool trailer that even had gameplay icons on the screen making it look like someone was playing it.

Total bullshot.
 

Iorv3th

Member
I want to know how they have a tshirt model as the head of microsoft game studios......

The guy is no Yosp or Herman Hulst for that matter. They need to get someone that has worked on games development and leading studios in the past to lead them now. Spencer never developed games and probably doesn't know enough to lead these teams and make sure they are hitting goals.

Sounds like what Sony did with Deep Down in 2013. Showed a cool trailer that even had gameplay icons on the screen making it look like someone was playing it.

Total bullshot.

That was capcoms game, not sony's.
 
Last edited:
This isn't just outsourcing parts of the game. It sounds like they paid a completely seperate developer to make something that would look like cool next-gen Halo gameplay, so they could pass it off as such, meanwhile the real Halo is completely unrelated and looked like.... well, we know what it looks like now.
Article points to a number of outsourcing issues. One saying their reliance on outsourcing is higher than compared to what is normal.

Who knows. I guess we will see. But the leadership didn’t seem to think there was an issue until the community response to the gameplay demo... which is troubling.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
This isn't just outsourcing parts of the game. It sounds like they paid a completely seperate developer to make something that would look like cool next-gen Halo gameplay, so they could pass it off as such, meanwhile the real Halo is completely unrelated and looked like.... well, we know what it looks like now.
Honestly it just sounds like they outsourced another company/developer to help them make something that would look cool in a player facing gameplay video/screenshots. I don't think it was to "trick" anyone in the beginning per se, but maybe so they could continue to focus on whatever they were focusing on. Sounds like it was just all poorly managed.

In a studio I worked for previously we outsourced our fully rendered CG trailers, hell, and our in-game trailers. Because we wanted them to look as good as they could be for the public and we didn't have an internal team with that kind confidence and experience. I feel like the same could've been what was happening here, it was just handled poorly.
 

Sorne

Member
I think I'll just start to cry. I just want a good Halo game..

Whatever it takes, more delays.. I don't care. Just don't screw this up. It really could have potential.
 
343 was never equipped to handle such a massive franchise. They completely botched Halo for the current generation (Xbox One) after Halo was so successful during the 360 generation.
 

Barakov

Member
Wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of firings when(IF?!) this game comes out. At the very least all of the management needs to go.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ik3

mckmas8808

Banned
Chris was saying the same thing on this week's Sacred Symbols, said he knows contracts who've come and gone on the project and even sent him footage of it. Said it's the same at other MS studios too, wtf is going on there.

What is the bolded about?
 

mckmas8808

Banned
This seems to be the original article https://www.thurrott.com/games/239188/a-closer-look-at-halo-infinites-turbulent-journey#

For years there has been talk of issues with the management at 343. It isn't surprising to be hearing what we are now.

Sucks because there is so much Halo left. I know a lot of people wondered how they were gonna move past Halo 3, and then Halo 5 lol. But keep in mind that Reach and Combat Evolved both take place at the very end of the war with the Covenant. There is so much that only the books are touching on.

Doing a game with Chief in his early days would be epic. Johnson was there after Harvest. Hell Johnson was one of the first Spartans.

There is so much they can do. Create another studio to handle something else Halo, or just get a studio.

But the Halo output and overall quality from 343 hasn't been what it needs to be.

I think at this point, it isn't the Xbox One holding back Infinite (doubting Infinite was supposed to be next gen at this point), nor is it COVID-19, it is the management of 343 imo.

So.....at what point do we start looking at MS too for this Halo Infinite failure? Surely they knew of all of these management issues at 343 years ago right? So, aren't they supposed to come in and clean things up at some point?
 
So.....at what point do we start looking at MS too for this Halo Infinite failure? Surely they knew of all of these management issues at 343 years ago right? So, aren't they supposed to come in and clean things up at some point?
Yeah you have a point. IDK. I just want more Halo and hope someone starts kicking some ass
 

JTCx

Member
Sounds like what Sony did with Deep Down in 2013.
ImpureShockingDeer-size_restricted.gif
 

Jaybe

Member
Bonnie would much rather her name be on the credits of a TV series or movie than a just some video game.
 

dorkimoe

Member
These companies make all these promises and show stuff too early and make everyone think the game is further in development than it is. Just to get people into their ecosystem
 

frogger

Member
343i did developed Halo 4 which was the best looking halo games on Xbox 360, better than the Bungie Halos on 360. They need to get to work.
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
If all of this is true, I wouldn't expect this thing until Spring of 2022. If there are gems of truth in there but it's actually salvageable, maybe we'll see it fall 2021.

Either way I would not be surprised if this is 343i's final game for Microsoft.
 

Spaceman292

Banned
From the article:

"Apparently, the E3 2019 trailer for Halo Infinite was outsourced while the game was not in a playable state, which "over-sold expectations for Infinite's later demos." The report suggests that the marketing and engineering teams behind Halo Infinite "have been on two different planets," which has also led to issues in messaging the game."

It kinda makes more sense why people were leaving in 2019 now, try and get as far as away as possible from the blast wave. The whole distraction with the TV show just makes it even more stupid, did management forget they were supposed to be making a game or...?
So the problem is that the marketers are trying to sell the game and the devs are saying 'no no stop that the game's shit'
 

Dr Bass

Member
If it's as bad as it sounds in the Thurrott article ... is it even close to being a viable game? It almost sounds like they have next to nothing ...
 
Top Bottom