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[Rumor] 343 is now stopping "active development" and become "franchise coordinator" of Halo. Halo Infinite Campaign DLCs scrapped, focus on MP support
- Thread starter Pelta88
- Start date
Feel Like I'm On 42
Member
Yup. The current MS leadership is questionable at best. Remember, it's this leadership with Spencer, ybarra, etc that allowed Halo to become ruined under 343. They kicked off this publisher buying spree and they are responsible for having no AAA in '22. Also, they are the ones encouraging mandatory cross play in multi-player games. I remember Phil Spencer last gen when he was selling us on the Xb1X that "people don't want 60 fps". MS is also woke as hell these days.
Lots of negatives.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
For the folks who believe all this, be ready for it to all be proven to be nonsense and senseless drama in due course. This has nothing to do with the state of Halo or doubts about future Halo singleplayer games or anything like that. Microsoft above their heads decided "we want job cuts, make it happen." Someone new was brought in to lead 343i and we knew there might be some changes from that.
Game development is no longer solely handled by one mega team alone. There are many outsourced parts of the project that include other studios and development partners or staffing companies that provide talent. Halo Infinite literally had over 20 altogether studios and development partners altogether on it. 343i doesn't need to be as large as it is to carry out its mission. All 3 Bethesda Game Studios locations collectively had less or equal amounts of people to what 343i on its own did, this includes the Starfield team in Maryland led by Todd Howard. 343i does not have to be as large as they were to do what they have to do, especially when more and more of the industry are moving towards remote and distributed development practices. Job losses always fucking suck, but they were inevitable with what's taking place economically. Google just today announced similar massive cuts.
Those 10,000 jobs sure as hell weren't going to exclusively come from areas that obviously outperform the sector containing Xbox. Job cuts will be all over.
I say Let 343i rock and do their thing. Many of the same things being said about 343i have been said before and look how well MCC turned out. They've been said about Fallout 76, look where that is. They've been said about Sea of Thieves, we see how far that has come.
343i made amazing progress in the last year, and when the time comes to reveal the next big Halo SP project, whatever form that takes, 343i, as always, will fulfill the role they always have as overseer and franchise coordinator as well as game development lead/partner. They did this with Halo Wars 2, animated projects, live-action projects like forward unto dawn, book and podcast projects, and they did it with Halo MCC, the Halo TV series, and Halo Infinite.
That is the most bizarre part of the rumors that are now out there. Somehow Microsoft will keep on payroll a game development studio that does not actually develop games. That was the short version of what they were trying to say and hopefully some see it for the nonsense that it is. Not all roles necessary to facilitate the creation of future main Halo singleplayer FPS games have been cast aside. It's one of Xbox's most popular, most played, and most loved gaming franchises. It isn't going anywhere. I even saw one particularly idiotic games journalist yesterday suggest who should Microsoft sell the Halo IP to and among the names on the list were Bethesda (right that makes sense a lot of sense) and Activision (who Microsoft is in the act of purchasing currently).
The one cog in the original plan for 343i that has yet to happen was when there were supposed to be spin-offs or reimaginings of Halo in even more genres, potentially also third person or even RPG based that never came to fruition. Microsoft should absolutely be willing to treat it the way Marvel does its IPs or the way Disney treats Star Wars universe games. Nobody expected new Halo Campaign content this year so I'm not sure what anybody is concerned about.
Game development is no longer solely handled by one mega team alone. There are many outsourced parts of the project that include other studios and development partners or staffing companies that provide talent. Halo Infinite literally had over 20 altogether studios and development partners altogether on it. 343i doesn't need to be as large as it is to carry out its mission. All 3 Bethesda Game Studios locations collectively had less or equal amounts of people to what 343i on its own did, this includes the Starfield team in Maryland led by Todd Howard. 343i does not have to be as large as they were to do what they have to do, especially when more and more of the industry are moving towards remote and distributed development practices. Job losses always fucking suck, but they were inevitable with what's taking place economically. Google just today announced similar massive cuts.
Those 10,000 jobs sure as hell weren't going to exclusively come from areas that obviously outperform the sector containing Xbox. Job cuts will be all over.
I say Let 343i rock and do their thing. Many of the same things being said about 343i have been said before and look how well MCC turned out. They've been said about Fallout 76, look where that is. They've been said about Sea of Thieves, we see how far that has come.
343i made amazing progress in the last year, and when the time comes to reveal the next big Halo SP project, whatever form that takes, 343i, as always, will fulfill the role they always have as overseer and franchise coordinator as well as game development lead/partner. They did this with Halo Wars 2, animated projects, live-action projects like forward unto dawn, book and podcast projects, and they did it with Halo MCC, the Halo TV series, and Halo Infinite.
That is the most bizarre part of the rumors that are now out there. Somehow Microsoft will keep on payroll a game development studio that does not actually develop games. That was the short version of what they were trying to say and hopefully some see it for the nonsense that it is. Not all roles necessary to facilitate the creation of future main Halo singleplayer FPS games have been cast aside. It's one of Xbox's most popular, most played, and most loved gaming franchises. It isn't going anywhere. I even saw one particularly idiotic games journalist yesterday suggest who should Microsoft sell the Halo IP to and among the names on the list were Bethesda (right that makes sense a lot of sense) and Activision (who Microsoft is in the act of purchasing currently).
The one cog in the original plan for 343i that has yet to happen was when there were supposed to be spin-offs or reimaginings of Halo in even more genres, potentially also third person or even RPG based that never came to fruition. Microsoft should absolutely be willing to treat it the way Marvel does its IPs or the way Disney treats Star Wars universe games. Nobody expected new Halo Campaign content this year so I'm not sure what anybody is concerned about.
BbMajor7th
Member
He emptied the Microsoft war chest all over the place and nearly ten years on from that ill-fated XB1 launch, they're still in third place. Every few months he pops his head up to reassure folks that greatness is just around the corner while Nintendo and Sony take it in turns to see who can teabag them hardest. When the highest accolade you can claim in recent years is 'Metacritic publisher of the year 2021', you know you're in a bad place. Sony and Nintendo have both had crash-and burn consoles in recent decades, and both learnt from their failures and come back stronger.
It's become stale through being too safe - constantly trying to recapture Bungie's golden age rather than redefine itself for a new era. The long dev cycles just made the disappointment all the more drawn out. Both Epic and Bungie were closely tied to the MS in the X360 era and key to the console' success. Both moved on from boring samey franchises to launch successful new IPs that have each been generation-defining.
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MasterCornholio
Member
More like it just needs to be given to the right devs if 343 can't handle it.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Live from PR.
Banjo64
cumsessed
I actually Google searched ‘NeoGAF astroturfing’ yesterday, and guess who’s posts from the 2013 Xbox One DRM thread turned up as an example?
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
I actually Google searched ‘NeoGAF astroturfing’ yesterday, and guess who’s posts from the 2013 Xbox One DRM thread turned up as an example?
MasterCornholio
Member
I actually Google searched ‘NeoGAF astroturfing’ yesterday, and guess who’s posts from the 2013 Xbox One DRM thread turned up as an example?
On it.
Edit:
I also learned about the dark age of NeoGaf. Glad this place changed for the better.
DeepEnigma
Don't do it. You'll need to wash your eyes out afterwards.
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Hmmm...
https://www.resetera.com/threads/rumor-halo-infinite-campaign-dlcs-scrapped-focus-now-on-mp-support-343-to-stop-halo-development-and-become-“franchise-coordinators”.677638/page-16
Looks like rumors are false
https://www.resetera.com/threads/rumor-halo-infinite-campaign-dlcs-scrapped-focus-now-on-mp-support-343-to-stop-halo-development-and-become-“franchise-coordinators”.677638/page-16
Looks like rumors are false
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Banjo64
cumsessed
It was actually linked through a gameFAQs thread from the time warning people about corporations shaping the online narrative.
Salty Popsicle
Banned
343i was put together back in 2007, which is 7 years before Phil Spencer took over Xbox. By that time Halo 4 had already shipped and Halo 5 was nearly completed. Halo Infinite is the first major Halo game that began development under his tenure and he has cleaned house with the studio after it's disappointing outing. If that's not taking action to right a ship then I don't know what is.
Kacho
Gold Member
Press sneak fuck always delivers the goods.
The SenjitsuSage redemption arc begins now.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
SenjutsuShill.
EverydayBeast
thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Infinite is on another level the world, FOBs, villains were really impressive it can’t be 343’s last game.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
The train is never late. Another huge L for people who want to believe anything. And I'm not even a fan of Jason Schrier, but it's obviously bs.
BbMajor7th
Member
He looked at two mediocre outings in a row and thought "let's give them another eight years - and a brand new engine. We don't want to be rash!".
If they fired like 60 people there is still a lot of people in the studio. Seems unlikely to me they're stopping development with that many people. I don't even think they would need 343i to "coordinate" whatever they want.
343i is a fucked up studio but it's still a development studio.
343i is a fucked up studio but it's still a development studio.
bentanchorbolt
Banned
Eh, I don't think that is an entirely fair assessment tbh. Saying they are in 3rd place as a knock doesn't really tell you the whole picture, since despite that the Series X|S is the fastest selling Xbox console ever, and Game Pass is generally panned as the best value in gaming which per reports is profitable. I think Phil is doing a good job overall but MS has the tools to be doing much better, at least in regards to software output. Xbox today is MUCH better than they were during the Xbox One era, so the idea they didn't learn and rebound doesn't compute. I think the apt take would be they are doing well but should be doing better, much better.
Kacho
Gold Member
nightmare-slain
Gold Member
I really liked Halo Infinite. This sucks. WTF Microsoft?
343 should be shut down completely. They don't deserve to be anywhere near Halo going forward.
343 should be shut down completely. They don't deserve to be anywhere near Halo going forward.
LordOfChaos
Member
"I don't think there was much planned in the first place" isn't that heartening a rejection of that rumor :/
The end of Infinite was potentially getting into the interesting stuff, I hope somehow DLC isn't completely out the window for the foreseeable future. And how long can they really wait on a live game's new content before it's too forgotten to profitably release DLC...
How the f would they not have much planned? Infinite was clearly gearing into the release of DLC for story expansion
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TheGodfather07
Member
Who could have guessed what a shitshow the whole thing would be after that initial gameplay showing that looked a mess? that was the biggest red flag that the studio was in total disarray. Further time only proved it be true, sadly.
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Bloobs
Al Pachinko, Konami President
Ansphn
Member
But they already admitted that they are losing money from each consoles. It's all about Gamepass subs. If people buy consoles but don't sub to Gamepass, that's a loss.
Evil Calvin
Afraid of Boobs
So....They've been doing what ...for the last 14+ months?
It's all in the wrist
Member
I think it's dumb that they get praised for this. It came out in 2014, and they should have gotten it right the first time. Do they have one guy working on it shifting pixels around? It's a done deal.
Salty Popsicle
Banned
If the two previous games were "mediocre", I think giving the team a longer development schedule and money to re-work the game engine from top-to-bottom is a very logical thing to do. Unfortunately, the team under Bonnie Ross didn't deliver even after all that time and investment which is why she is now gone, and the company has been reduced in staff significantly.
Salty Popsicle
Banned
Losing money on hardware sales has been a staple of this industry for decades for every console manufacturer. The money is made from selling software (games, subscriptions, DLC). Everyone knows this.
TheUndeadGamer
Member
So it seems with this update from Jason Schrier that SP DLC was never planned
343i seem to be solely focused on MP
and the other points are either speculation or false.
I still think 343 will be relegated to a support studio or only MP from now on and the campaign will be given to another studio.
343i seem to be solely focused on MP
and the other points are either speculation or false.
I still think 343 will be relegated to a support studio or only MP from now on and the campaign will be given to another studio.
Wimbledon
Member
Can't believe im going to say this, but Just sell Halo to Sony please. Clearly MS just isn't competent enough in game development, there really is no excuse for what happened with Halo.
I was never big on Phil in the first place and this was just the final nail for me.
I was never big on Phil in the first place and this was just the final nail for me.
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SenjutsuSage
Banned
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
What a shame to ruin a great pair of sweater kittens. I don't care about halo I just wanted to comment on these great yams.Your posts are hard to read
Topher
Gold Member
So we went from DLC isn't being scrapped to there never was any DLC to begin with? Shitty news either way for those hoping more from the campaign.
LordOfChaos
Member
Vol5
Member
I've been a believer for a while now. My worry is if they do go down the publisher route, after the ActiBlizz purchase, and smash all the cherished franchises into the ground with their mis-management and focus on profit. Could you imagine this happening to Doom, Elder Scrolls, Diablo? Imagine that scenario for a moment...I only hope if they do go publisher, they go back to normality and charge gamers for games instead of this insane Day 1 GP model.
YukiOnna
Member
It's basically the same thing and doesn't make anyone looking forward to SP content feel better...
Jaybe
Member
Choice editing you and the Twit made there. The only thing Jason confirmed as false is that DLC plans were scrapped. Apparently, they weren’t working on any DLC
. Such a sad incompetent studio. Good at submitting trademarks like the Endless and talking about 10 year plans but all talk from empty people.
Roufianos
Member
If people buy a console without Game Pass then they're going to be buying games. Which MS makes a profit on. Model works for Sony who obviously don't make much money from selling console sales alone.
HTK
Banned
All I know is that game was in development for such a long time and the content didn’t reflect it at all, not to mention it was delayed for an entire year and still was barebones in terms of content. I hope the hard working folks keep their jobs and the upper management gets pushed out. Change is much needed for the sake of Halo IP moving forward.
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Varteras
Member
Wasn't that one of the talking points about the game? That it was going to be the Halo we play for the next 10 years or something? Claims being made about the single player being expanded over time with more story and new areas?
93xfan
Banned
Forget about praising a company or not.
I think of it in terms of being glad that a serious restoration process has been done and many new things keep getting added.
It’s not about praising anyone, just about being excited to have such a definitive version of these games.
Topher
Gold Member
Yes that was it exactly. And I repeatedly defended the campaign when others criticized it for the lack of diverse biomes. My reasoning was that the inevitable additions to the campaign as part of this "10 year plan" would probably provide many different environments along the way. This 10 year Gaas plan was a whole lot of nothing.
Topher
Gold Member
The rumor that DLC was "scrapped" was bogus and in its place revealed that no new DLC was coming at all. Is that supposed to be better?
abacab driver
Banned
Fixed.