After announcing that Microsoft plans to lay off thousands of employees, the former senior multiplayer designer for Halo took to Twitter to criticize the tech giant.
In Twitter post (opens in a new tab)Patrick Wren claimed that Microsoft’s “incompetent leadership” caused developers stress during the development of Halo Infinite and also led to recent layoffs.
“The layoffs in 343 shouldn’t have happened, and Halo Infinite should have been in better shape,” Wren wrote. “The reason for both of these things is incompetent leadership at the top during the development of Halo Infinite, causing tremendous stress to those who work hard to make Halo the best it can be.”
“The people I worked with on a daily basis were passionate about Halo and wanted to do something great for the fans,” continued Wren. “They helped push a better Halo and got fired for it.”
Microsoft recently announced plans to cut more than 10,000 jobs amid concerns about a slowing global economy. 343 Industries isn’t the only game studio affected by the cuts, and Starfield developer Bethesda Game Studios has also reported significant layoffs.
More in the future
Even though Halo Infinite was released in November 2021, developer 343 Industries is still putting time and effort into patching Master Chief’s latest adventure post-launch. Halo Infinite’s last update for 2022, released in December, was one of the biggest in recent times and added a new Arena multiplayer map called Empyrean, based on Halo 3’s The Pit map. The melee arena consisted of two flag hut-style bases on either side, with opposing sniper towers and a central hall in the center. However, 343 changed some elements of the original map to match the style of Halo Infinite. Scrap cannons have replaced machine gun turrets in each base, and weapon spawn points have been updated to use Halo Infinite weapon racks.
Along with various new armor cores and new cadet shells unlocked, 343 Industries has also implemented network improvements. These updates mean that player damage dealt and received is now more consistent and manageable, as in previous versions some Spartans could avoid damage by sliding.
While the future of the beloved franchise is still uncertain following Microsoft’s layoffs, Bloomberg reported that 343 Industries studio head Pierre Hintze assured colleagues in an email that support for Halo Infinite multiplayer would continue. What this support will look like remains to be seen.