Support NeoGAF

[Draugoth]

According to Halo Community Director Brian Jarrard, Seasonal Cutscenes for Halo Infinite has been cut. His full tweet explains the situation:

PSA: As we've refined our top priorities and shifted resources internally this year, we had to make the decision to forego seasonal narrative cutscenes to make room for the team to continue focusing on highly requested features, content, and improvements for Halo Infinite.

These trade-offs are never easy to make, and we truly appreciate your support as the team works to make Halo Infinite the best experience possible. While the job is far from over, Season 4 marks another big step forward and we remain committed to this journey with the Halo community.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Who gives a shit. This failed as a GaaS. The campaign was good but this is not a game that needs years and years of content. They should be working on a new game.

 

[Hendrick's]

Who gives a shit. This failed as a GaaS. The campaign was good but this is not a game that needs years and years of content. They should be working on a new game.

I remember a time when a MP game could exist without being GaaS.

 

[Adam_802]

Good. No one cared about those shitty cutscenes that added nothing.

 

[BennyBlanco]

I remember a time when a MP game could exist without being GaaS.

Yea me too. Such as the old Halo games. You got a handful of (really good generally speaking) maps, and a bunch of MP modes. I don’t need cat ears for my master chief. The GaaS hook adds nothing to the experience except cringe.

 

[nowhat]

I remember a time when a MP game could exist without being GaaS.

Me too! That "Pong" was really something, wasn't it?

 

[DeepEnigma]

I remember a time when a MP game could exist without being GaaS.

They sure did a number on conditioning the masses of Nu gamers. They were right when those psychological papers leaked from EA and the like several years ago. That they had to dig their feet in and take short term bad press and criticisms from us gaming dinosaurs, that eventually you keep pushing something in attractive packages, the populace would eventually fall in line. Especially if you condition the new generation of gamers to grow up with that, who never experienced how gaming was prior.

 

[STARSBarry]

Yea me too. Such as the old Halo games. You got a handful of (really good generally speaking) maps, and a bunch of MP modes. I don’t need cat ears for my master chief. The GaaS hook adds nothing to the experience except cringe.

I love how people have come to the shocking realisation that they need to temper the expectations of a game based on what it delivers and not what it promises to come eventually thanks to Infinite. It will be used as a lesson for developers on what not to do with a franchise.

 

[feynoob]

I remember a time when a MP game could exist without being GaaS.

Now it's just seasonal pass, or retaining users retention for mtx purposes.
Fk them.

 

[Reallink]

LOL the people working on story cutscenes have absolutely nothing to do with making gameplay content or requested features. These are done by a small narrative team with the actual CGI leg work being outsourced to someone like Blur or the Chinese/Korean asset/render farms that comprise 70% of modern day game credits. Just say you don't want to pay to make any more of them.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

GaaS with seasons/passes/etc is absolute cancer... I don't really even like Rocket League as much after it went free-to-play, it inherently feels a little trashier now like Fortnite and all the other brain cancers

 

[keraj37]

Yeah, it is in the name: cutscenes, so they cut.

 

[VolticArchangel]

What will happen to the 10 year plan that was originally envisioned, as "Infinite is a platform" thing now Ubi is doing with Assassin's Creed? Still on support as a GaaS title in MP only?

The more important question is, will there be a "Halo 7" in the traditional sense?

 

[Bernkastel]

These are done by a small narrative team with the actual CGI leg work being outsourced to someone like Blur or the Chinese/Korean asset/render farms that comprise 70% of modern day game credits. Just say you don't want to pay to make any more of them.

They are all rendered in-engine, including the CGI ones. You are talking about Halo Wars 2 where the cutscenes were made by Blur. The only out-sourcing is Certain Affinity on Tatanka and Skybox Labs on Forge. Don't pull out facts without a source.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Add it to the pile of dead games

 

[hemo memo]

 

[Balducci30]

Such a shame what happened with this game. Was the best playing halo game with the best campaign in a full decade and they fucked it all up by making it gaas

 

[M1chl]

There is true no bottom at the Halo Infinite pit.

 

[DAHGAMING]

Good, load of shit, focus on the stuff that matters, campaign and arena style multiplay, big team battle aswell. Stick that rumored Halo Battle Royal up your arse aswell.

 

[Drizzlehell]

343 is putting "cut" in cutscenes.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

The King is Back

 

[Dr. Claus]

Just kill the trashfire of a Halo game already. Its beyond saving.

 

[Smasher89]

Hmm, wasnt this halogame the game that initially were marketed as the first AAAA game?, seems budget isnt there for that!

 

[IDKFA]

Halo Infinite is probably the worst Halo game campaign wise. It's just so shallow. Soulless.

Time to hand the IP over to another dev.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

They are all rendered in-engine, including the CGI ones. You are talking about Halo Wars 2 where the cutscenes were made by Blur. The only out-sourcing is Certain Affinity on Tatanka and Skybox Labs on Forge. Don't pull out facts without a source.

Probably true. But if they have a team that was supposed to do them, what are they doing instead? I probably do not understand the tweet right but it feels more to me like they have their QA so occupied that they can't work on those cutscenes. Does the halo community complained about the cutscenes already in the game to the point that they are remaking some of them? Or did the studio lost so many people at the end of 2022 that they had to reduce the scope of theirs plans? We are in June. When where those cutscenes promised? And for when? Sorry if I ask to many questions, but I do not follow Halo and the situation seems just weird.

 

[Varteras]

They really just need to cut their losses with this game. It's a waste of time and resources to attempt to salvage it. They'd be better off having much of their staff assist other studios while they figure out what they're doing.

 

[Bernkastel]

Probably true. But if they have a team that was supposed to do them, what are they doing instead? I probably do not understand the tweet right but it feels more to me like they have their QA so occupied that they can't work on those cutscenes. Does the halo community complained about the cutscenes already in the game to the point that they are remaking some of them? Or did the studio lost so many people at the end of 2022 that they had to reduce the scope of theirs plans? We are in June. When where those cutscenes promised? And for when? Sorry if I ask to many questions, but I do not follow Halo and the situation seems just weird.

I am not defending 343i. I believe Halo should be given to Certain Affinity. I hope Tatanka is a success, it's Certain Affinity's chance to prove themselves.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

I am not defending 343i. I believe Halo should be given to Certain Affinity. I hope Tatanka is a success, it's Certain Affinity's chance to prove themselves.

I was not attacking 343i. Just asking a few questionsto someone that know a lot more than me about Halo Infinite. I found this post on Reddit that seems to consider it a consequence of the budget cuts like I did. Sorry if you took it that way.

 

[Interfectum]

Never forget: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/neogaf-goty-awards-2021-ot-results.1627826/

 

[Kataploom]

I hate them in every online game I play, specially when I can't skip them, so I appreciate it

 

[Pop]

343i sucks
Xbox/Phil sucks

I'll never forgive them for what they did to Halo

 

[Flabagast]

I mean it's not like these cut scenes are high art to begin with.

 

[Porticus]

Never forget: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/neogaf-goty-awards-2021-ot-results.1627826/

And then people say that NeoGAF is a Sony hivemind.

 

[01011001]

they shouldn't have been a thing to begin with!
the fact that they thought they were a good idea shows how fucking shit they are at prioritising the correct aspects

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

A treasure trove of lore and options for badass gameplay and they fumble the ball repeatedly. I wish someone else had the IP.

 

[Robb]

Who gives a shit. This failed as a GaaS. The campaign was good but this is not a game that needs years and years of content. They should be working on a new game.

Yeah that’s pretty much my sentiment ever since I heard they scrapped any potential singleplayer DLC..

Salvage the good stuff that came out waaaaay too late (like forge), get your shit together, and put that stuff in a new/worthwhile installment instead.

 

[Bernkastel]

I was not attacking 343i.

Actually I am encouraging you to attack 343i. My original post was about the cutscenes, they indeed are made in-house on 343i.

Just asking a few questionsto someone that know a lot more than me about Halo Infinite. I found this post on Reddit that seems to consider it a consequence of the budget cuts like I did. Sorry if you took it that way.

This post answers your question better than I could.

they shouldn't have been a thing to begin with!
the fact that they thought they were a good idea shows how fucking shit they are at prioritising the correct aspects

 

[Reallink]

They are all rendered in-engine, including the CGI ones. You are talking about Halo Wars 2 where the cutscenes were made by Blur. The only out-sourcing is Certain Affinity on Tatanka and Skybox Labs on Forge. Don't pull out facts without a source.

There's nothing "in-engine" about the first 3 minutes of season 3. It's a 100% offline render using completely unique offline assets that are generations ahead of consoles and even 4090's, assets that have nothing to do with the game at all. That 3 minutes was likely several million dollars to produce. As I pointed out, don't bullshit people, just say you don't see the value in paying millions of dollars for stupid openings most people skip. The people that made these videos have absolutely nothing to do with content or features.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Actually I am encouraging you to attack 343i. My original post was about the cutscenes, they indeed are made in-house on 343i.

This post answers your question better than I could.

Thanks!

 

[salva]

Make more SP content ya fken ning nongs.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

If only our government was this fiscally responsible.

 

[Sleepwalker]

"Redefined our priorities and shifted resources internally"


We have no more money and ms wont gib more allowance.

 

[Crayon]

Risky to move a storied brand to gaas. Any gaas is risky but you are putting a lot on the line when you are going to transition a big franchise to that. Street fighter took a hit. Gran turismo took a hit. Halo was already shaky and the hits keep coming.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

343i is a trash developer

Microsoft has been trash in their "handling" of Halo

The two combined are responsible for almost destroying this franchise. At the very least they've done irreparable damage to the way people think of Halo.

The campaign sucks. It's so shallow and barren and the amount of padding with spamming waves of enemies is the worst I've experienced in the final section of this game.

The saddest thing though IS the multiplayer. By making this "free to play" and forcing Crossplay they've ruined the spirit of Halo.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Wait so they will pay billions of dollars to buy a company that they already get gaems from (AB) but won't spend a .000010 of a fraction of the cost for some cutscenes. MS makes no sense, greedy ass company. Not that I care, I don't play halo.

 

[stickkidsam]

Good.

Keep cutting away at all the cancerous bullshit that's grown on Halo. CLEANSE THE HOLY RELIC OF THIS FREE TO PLAY HERESY!!

 

[Stare-Bear]

The second Starfield came about, Microsoft lost all interest in Halo…

 

[Saiyan-Rox]

Does this mean I don't have to skip that damn cutscene every time I boot the game up?

 

[TheShocker]

They were half assed and did little to further the story arc of Halo Infinite’s Campaign. Just furthers the notion that Halo is an afterthought anymore OR Microsoft is going to pull the plug all together on 343i. I really hope is the latter and the series ends up in some competent hands.

 

[Codes 208]

Didnt stop them asshats from sitting on infection for so long just to make it “lore friendly”

And we didnt even ask for this shit, we wanted CAMPAIGN extensions, not multiplayer tidbits, this isnt fucking call of duty