343 Industries Dispels Rumors, Confirms Continued Development of Halo Franchise

Fans of the Halo franchise were recently abuzz with rumors that 343 Industries, the studio responsible for developing the popular first-person shooter series, had been taken off of lead development duties.

However, the studio has since taken to social media to put those rumors to rest, with studio head Pierre Hintze sharing a message on Twitter that stated, "Halo and Master Chief are here to stay. 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and in the future, including epic stories, multiplayer, and more of what makes Halo great."

A Rough Start for Halo Infinite

This statement comes after a tumultuous period for the franchise, specifically concerning the development and release of the latest entry, Halo Infinite.

Since its announcement, the game has faced several controversies, including a divisive demonstration at E3 2020 and a progression system that was met with widespread criticism from fans, IGN reports. Additionally, the decision to remove split-screen co-op also drew backlash from players.

Halo Makers Jumping Ship

According to IGN, this development comes after Microsoft carried a round of widespread layoffs affecting 10,000 employees, many of whom worked for Xbox Game Studios, The Coalition, 343 Industries, and Bethesda, among other companies.

Shortly after that, the director of Halo Infinite, Joseph Staten, reportedly parted ways with 343 Industries to return to Xbox publishing.

Shortly after that, rumors began to circulate, suggesting that 343 Industries would no longer make Halo games themselves and that the core games would no longer have story campaigns to play through.

According to Metro, one of these leakers, Bathrobe Spartan, stated that initial plans for story-based DLC for Halo Infinite have already been scrapped.

Despite these setbacks, 343 Industries has worked hard to address fan complaints and improve the overall experience. The studio altered the game's Battle Pass and progression system, and the resulting single-player campaign and multiplayer modes were well-received, obtaining a 9/10 from IGN and a 78 from PCGamer.

Fans can now be assured that 343 Industries is committed to advancing the Halo franchise and that the studio is focused on providing the epic story, engaging multiplayer, and general quality that fans have come to expect from the series.

Players can anticipate more exciting adventures with Master Chief and the rest of the Halo universe thanks to the studio's assurance that they will continue to develop Halo in the present and the future.

In Other News

The popular online game "Grand Theft Auto Online" is now plagued by hackers on its platform, who can corrupt one's account and change stats, resulting in an account ban or deletion.

According to a well-known "GTA" insider, this is happening again on PC platforms and has already caused several issues for other accounts.

Furthermore, the insider claims that gamers should wait for Rockstar Games to address this issue before going online via the PC platform, as they will face a significant risk.

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