Microsoft, is having a rough week with the company laying off 10,000 employees in various divisions. This includes Bethesda Game Studios, The Coalition, and 343 Industries, the ones behind Halo Infinite. Reports from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier also indicate that the campaign team was “hit hard” and that creative director Joseph Staten has left 343 to rejoin Xbox’s publishing division.
Patrick Wren, a former senior multiplayer designer on Halo Infinite who is now working at Respawn on Star Ward Jedi: Survivor, shared his thoughts on the layoffs via Twitter. He blamed “incompetent leadership at the top” for causing “massive stress.”
The layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened and Halo Infinite should be in a better state. The reason for both of those things is incompetent leadership up top during Halo Infinite development causing massive stress on those working hard to make Halo the best it can be.
— Patrick Wren (@Witdarkstar) January 19, 2023
The layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened and Halo Infinite should be in a better state. The reason for both of those things is incompetent leadership up top during Halo Infinite development causing massive stress on those working hard to make Halo the best it can be.
— Patrick Wren (@Witdarkstar) January 19, 2023
“The layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened and Halo Infinite should be in a better state. The reason for both is incompetent leadership during Halo Infinite’s development, causing massive stress on those who work hard to make Halo the best it can be.”
“The people I worked with every day were passionate about Halo and wanted to do something great for the fans. They helped push for better Halo and got fired for it. The developers are still working hard on that dream. Look at Forge. Be kind to them during this horrible time.”
It’s no secret to anyone that Halo Infinite has had a difficult time, both before and after launch. 343 Industries would struggle to release updates and new content, reportedly due to Microsoft’s policy on contractors. While the developer was last noted to be on track with its 2023 content, it’s unknown if this is still the case after the layoffs. In the meantime, stay tuned for more details.
