Rumor: 343 Industries Scrapping Halo Infinite Campaign DLCs After Losing 1/3 of Workforce

Matters have worsened for the Halo franchise’s future. According to a rumor, 343 Industries (343i) is scrapping Halo Infinite’s planned campaign DLCs and transitioning altogether to a supervisory “franchise coordinator” role, after having lost a third of its workforce during the recent layoffs. 343i’s roadmap for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer content in 2023 will reportedly remain unchanged.

343i has been experiencing significant leadership difficulties ever since the troubled launch of Halo Infinite. Last year, studio head Bonnie Ross announced her departure from the company ahead of the release of the Winter Update, leading to parent company Microsoft restructuring her role into three separate positions. In December, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer creative director Tom French left the company, and Head of Creative Joseph Staten has reportedly also made an exit as of yesterday.

The rumor, if true, puts a nail in Halo Infinite’s coffin: 343i has now lost a third of its workforce, including both internal staff and contractors. Long-term plans for Halo Infinite campaign DLCs were scrapped by studio lead Pierre Hintz after a cost-benefit analysis, which is stated as the likely reason for Staten’s exit.

Under Hintz, 343i will reportedly be focusing on supporting Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode (which is already outsourced to Certain Affinity, Spearsoft, and other studios for the most part) while transitioning to a “franchise coordinator” role. This change of direction has reportedly been in motion since 2020, with 343i (along with Microsoft Game Publishing) contracting mutliple external studios to create “future Halo experiences.”

Despite reports of deprecation in favor of the Unreal Engine Halo Infinite’s Slipspace engine is still in place according to the rumor, and will be opened up to external studios working with the IP should they choose to use it. The game’s multiplayer plans for 2023 (the rumored Project Tatanka, Forge, and new seasons and maps) will remain unchanged.

What do you think of the Halo franchise’s new direction? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Bathrobe Spartan via Resetera

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