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343 Industries affirms it will develop Halo 'now and in the future'

Amid swirling rumors about the franchise's future, 343 Industries has put out a statement that it will continue to work in the Halo universe.

Ozzie Mejia

January 21, 2023 3:00 PM

343 Industries

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It's been a difficult few weeks across the tech sector. Microsoft, in particular, is coming off a massive round of layoffs. A portion of the jobs cut came from developer 343 Industries and there has been speculation regarding whether the studio would remain assigned to the Halo franchise. The team at 343 looked to put any rumors to rest over the weekend, putting out a statement on Saturday afternoon that assured fans that the studio would remain with Halo for the foreseeable future.

The following statement was issued by 343 Industries Studio Head Pierre Hintze on the Halo Twitter account:

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.

Rumors about 343's place in the Halo series began shortly after Microsoft's recent round of 10,000 layoffs. At least one originated from Halo leaker Bathrobe Spartan and started picking up steam from outlets like Gamespot. While things are always subject to change, Hintze's statement should put most of these rumors to rest.

Still, all is not well in the world of Halo. Numerous delays, major shakeups within 343, and lukewarm receptions to the game's multiplayer have left Halo Infinite in a rough state. The team at 343 hopes to work towards turning things around with the Winter Update among the studio's plans for the game's future.

We'll continue to watch what's happening with 343 Industries and Halo Infinite here at Shacknews. Keep it here for any updates.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?