In a recent interview published by IGN, Phil Spencer touched on the subject Haloarguing that “the heart and soul” of the series are with 343 Industries, meaning that the team will continue to have the central role it has had so far in the development of the franchise, speaking of the future of the series and the team.
After the wave of 10,000 layoffs announced by Microsoft in all sectors of the company we have seen that 343 Industries was perhaps the most affected with regards to the development teams involved in video games. From here conflicting voices followed, among those who supported a possible change in the role of the team, which could act as coordinator on projects entrusted to other studios, and denials of this reconstruction.
In any case, there are several testimonies to support the idea that 343 Industries has been particularly affected by the job cuts. In this regard, Phil Spencer reported that 343 Industries did a great job as regards the launch of an excellent level chapter with Halo Infinite, only to admit that the game subsequently failed to maintain a high enough level in terms Of amount of content and frequency of updates.
“What we want to do now is make sure the lead team is ready for the flexibility required to build a plan and execute itSpencer said. “Halo remains as critical to Xbox as 343 remains as critical to Halo’s success.”
The head of Xbox then commented on the issue of support team: “As for the support studies and other things, they are normal parts in the development stages, but the heart and soul of Halo remains with 343, and we have the utmost confidence in the team who continue to work to move the plan forward established”.
In any case, “I expect that we will continue to support and grow Halo for as long as Xbox continues to exist as a platform”. Spencer also commented on the issue of layoffs, arguing that in his role, having the responsibility of creating a safe workplace where people can express themselves at their best, then the “fact of the layoffs itself means that I have not succeeded in my attempt“.
