![]() ![]() The dead-eyed "Craig" was an unintentional bright spot for Halo Infinite's troubled reveal. Unfortunately, that still hasn’t happened, and likely won’t. With a year of extra development, folks assumed Halo Infinite would be the killer app for Xbox Series X. It eventually released on December 8 of that year. Following the backlash, Microsoft announced Halo Infinite would be delayed to 2021. ![]() The only silver lining came in the form of the now-infamous “Craig” meme, which at least provided some unexpected levity to the rough reveal. Its performance issues, which included background pop-in, were also lambasted. Fans and critics accused the game of having dated graphics, especially for a title meant to launch alongside a brand-new Xbox system. Halo Infinite faced criticism even before it launched when Microsoft posted an eight-minute gameplay trailer in July 2020. As things stand, it’s difficult seeing how, or if, this game can ever recover Infinite problemsĪfter a year-long delay, you’d think Halo Infinite would be in a better state. But as we all know, Halo Infinite failed to deliver the goods. It was positioned to be a hit for Microsoft’s then-new “next-gen” console, the Xbox Series X - with the game plastered across Xbox Series X boxes. Given 343 Industries' spotty record with the Halo franchise up to that point, people were understandably skeptical about Halo Infinite. Halo 5 was a sales success but soon faded into obscurity as fans continued playing Call of Duty and similar FPS titles. Halo 5 wasn’t the first entry to feature another protagonist besides Master Chief (see: Halo 2), but, generally speaking, fans didn’t seem to care much for Spartan Locke (played by Marvel’s Luke Cage star, Mike Colter). Though it was an objectively solid game that delivered an enjoyable multiplayer experience, players didn’t care much for its campaign. Halo 5: Guardians was 343’s chance to prove it was capable of properly managing the franchise. These issues have since been (mostly) resolved, but the persistent online issues marred what is otherwise a stellar collection. Considering how Halo games became hugely popular because of their addictive online modes, this was unacceptable. In fact, it was flat-out broken for many years. What went wrong with the Master Chief Collection? Though the single-player portions of each game were technically sound, the online multiplayer barely functioned. While 343 will continue work on Tatanka, with support from game developer Certain Affinity, it’s clear the Halo series will look very different moving forward (and maybe run in Unreal Engine).Halo: The Master Chief Collection should have been a stellar collection of Halo games but a broken multiplayer experience ruined it for many players. Fans latched on to the series reinvention before a not-so-stellar post-launch left many fans dissatisfied owing to a lack of regular substantial content updates. Halo Infinite was poised as the future of the franchise and launched to mostly positive reception. Many of those same developers were laid off this month, and the studio still has no plans for new narrative content. Instead, some developers had been workshopping new prototypes in Unreal Engine and pitching ideas for Halo games. Additionally, more Halo Infinite story content is said to have never been in the cards for 343. At least 95 employees have reportedly lost their jobs, including “dozens of veterans including top directors and contractors,” per Bloomberg. In fact, Bloomberg reports that long-in-the-works Halo Infinite game modes like Extraction and Assault have yet to launch to the public largely due to Slipspace engine issues.Īdding to the changes at 343 are massive layoffs that hit the company earlier this month. Slipspace has been a notoriously problematic engine to develop games with due to its dated code and buggy nature. However, it sounds like the move is a long time coming. The report states that some developers fear this switch to a new engine could negatively impact Halo’s gameplay. Tatanka reportedly began as a battle royale title, but the early-in-development project could “evolve in different directions.” For now, its next game is in the works under the codename “Tatanka,” and it’s being made with Unreal Engine instead of 343 Industries’ usual Slipspace engine. The site’s sources explain that while 343 will remain as the series’s lead studio, it will “all but start from scratch” for a variety of reasons. 343 Industries is undergoing significant changes that will forever alter the future of the Halo franchise, according to a Bloomberg report from Jason Schreier. ![]()
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