Halo Infinite has not been the success a game with “Halo” in the title should be. While the game got off to a solid start, Microsoft and 343 Industries have struggled to produce a satisfying flow of post-launch content. So, where did things go wrong? Was the pandemic to blame or was it something else?
Well, in a new interview with Skill Up’s Friends Per Second podcast, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty admitted 343 simply didn’t have a good enough plan to support Halo Infinite post launch, but that they’ve now “retrenched” and are focusing on getting things on track.
“These days with a game like Halo Infinite, shipping the game is just the beginning. There’s gotta be a plan for content [to] sustain, there’s gotta be a plan for continuing engagement, and we just fell short on the plan for that. We’ve really retrenched, we’ve got some changes in how the team is set up, we’ve got some changes in leadership, and just have to really get refocused around that sustained content plan.
And just, thank you to the players for sticking with us through this. We know there’s way more demand and so much more we could be delivering. We appreciate the players sticking with us and that is our focus right now. On quality-of-life for the game and getting on a regular cadence of content. If was a little bit of, good finish across the finish line, and then, kind of the classic runner’s mistake of tripping and stumbling […] and we’ve gotta recover. So, the burden is on us, the team is very focused on that right now. […] The phrase of “gone gold” or “we shipped the game,” I don’t know if that has as much meaning today as it did five or six years ago.”
As Booty alluded to, 343 Industries is going through a restructuring, with a number of names, including longtime studio boss Bonnie Ross, departing. Meanwhile, Halo Infinite’s next big update will finally deliver features like online campaign co-op and Forge, so hopefully, the game can start finding its feet again.
Halo Infinite can be played on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game’s “Winter Update” launches on November 8.
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