While people continue to react to the layoffs at Microsoft, more information appears to be coming out about the impact it’s going to have on the gaming division, specifically at 343 Industries and the plans for Halo Infinite.
Insider “Bathrobe Spartan”, who’s been known to be correct in the past, posted a lengthy Twitter thread on Thursday. In it, they went into detail about the future of the Halo franchise as well as why the layoffs happened in the first place.
What Are The Halo Infinite Plans?
Regarding the future Halo Infinite plans, Spartan says that the layoffs won’t affect the current plans for 2023 and beyond.
“All content planned for this year, future seasons, modes, and elements are maintained and are not disrupted,” they said. “This will include all Halo Infinite-related projects being worked on by 343 Industries & external studios.”
As far as the company as a whole, Spartan says that 343 Industries is losing approximately a third of its workforce. The departures, they said, “mainly” impact teams responsible for the creation of “visual and narrative” content.
What Happens To 343 Industries After Layoffs?
Regarding the reason for the 343 Industries layoffs, “several factors” went into the decisions. Spartan says that three stand out:
- Microsoft’s planning for a possible recession
- High operating costs while not meeting overall financial goals
- A solely multiplayer-focused strategy for Halo Infinite moving forward
They closed his posting by saying that 343 Industries isn’t going to just go away. Instead, there will be a “two-point strategy”.
“Coordinate Halo Infinite follow-up [and] franchise the Halo license to other studios,” Spartan said.
As of writing, Insider Gaming hasn’t been able to verify this information independently. Should that come, we will update the story accordingly.
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