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I believe it's time to disband 343 Industries.

343's issue is management. Not going to get into personal details but its pretty weird to be playing a different game with a bunch of leads because they got their bonus and wanted a chill day while Halo Infinite is burning at the background. The management team kinda gamed the system. They are compensated and treated like normal Microsoft management with good benefits, high pay, and fairly solid job security. They are insulated from the factors which force other studios to produce in a shorter time which is why development has been troubled. MS is sorting it out. Management is being reshuffled and key positions have been opening up. I would suspend the death sentence for a year to see if those changes materialize into anything substantial.

In 343's defense, the market has shifted. Halo Infinite multiplayer is solid and amongst the best in the series. 343 gave it away for free and improved monetization by offering battlepasses which never expire. Outstanding moves that would save most Halo players $60 and open the game to a broader audience. What did the market do? Bitch that there was not enough "progression" or that playing felt like a "waste of time" because the battlepass was "too slow". Gamers don't want games anymore. They want a surrogate for success and the dopamine hit of checking a box or filling a bar.

Lmao Infinites monetisation is fucking gross
 
Disband easily one of the most critically acclaimed and most commercially successful First Party studios they have had in the last decade. That's a move only a genius would make.

Halo Infinite's campaign is easily one of the best in the entire franchise with quite clearly the best gameplay. It's also easily the most ambitious and genuinely interesting a Halo campaign has been from both an overall gameplay design standpoint. It's also one of the very best feeling multiplayer shooters I've played in a long, long time. So it doesn't have as much content as other live service free to play games that have been around for over 2 years, big deal. Halo is a more old school kind of shooter vibe and that obviously works against it in today's games industry, but a battle royale will work wonders for it if they ever actually make one. But enough falling for the bait.
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
Lol Copium . They were given 4 chances and failed all of them . There is no evidence that 343 can make a Halo game with longevity , every business decision they took after launch went into wrong places .
What copium? I literally just said that they never made a good Halo. I just think they can.
 

Apocryphon

Member
I believe it's time to stop dumb threads like this. The Franchise is fine, the gamers like the games, and they score well from both fans and professional reviewers. It's only forums like this that there is a problem.
Halos 4 and 5 have the lowest metacritic scores in the franchise, MCC was a complete mess for a long time, and Infinite isn't finished, to the point that ODST and Reach have better campaigns. It's understandable that people want more competent studios to take over the series.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
343 would be better suited to something like redfall and personally i think DOOM would be a much better suit for MS's flagship FPS franchise
frankly halo's cool and all but i dunno where it could really go from here, so might as well put it out to pasture
same for gears. Forza can stay though, it's kicking GT's ass currently. All of Microsoft's newer IP showings look far more interesting and exciting than most of the older IP they make anyways
its clear the studios wanna make something newer
 
I love Halo, and I agree with OP. I gave 343 years to make something that was, Halo. They suck, they really do. The studio is everything that is wrong with Netflix, Amazon prime. Shit writing with underlying agendas. I want to love Halo again, 343 just doesn't do it for me.
 

MagnesD3

Member
Just lay halo to rest, the last halo I loved was 4, it was the last one that still felt like halo but fresh like maybe halo really could have another great trilogy (even if its multiplayer competitive elements needed some work) and it gave me alot of hope for the franchise only for 5 to crush it.
 
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SteadyEvo

Member
It's time to put Rodd Fergusson in charge of overseeing MS first party studios and give him a big stick.

The non-stop delays and development hell would end REAL fast.
The guy that keeps churning out Gears? I’m good. Gimme someone that can create new and original games
 

Porcile

Member
I know that is it certainly my dream to transition from AAA game development into PowerPoint development at some point in my life. I couldn't call myself an artist if it wasn't.
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
343 would be better suited to something like redfall and personally i think DOOM would be a much better suit for MS's flagship FPS franchise
frankly halo's cool and all but i dunno where it could really go from here, so might as well put it out to pasture
same for gears. Forza can stay though, it's kicking GT's ass currently. All of Microsoft's newer IP showings look far more interesting and exciting than most of the older IP they make anyways
its clear the studios wanna make something newer
No, no, no. I don't think 343 can make a good Doom. Leave it to Id. I think 343 can make a good Halo eventually. With enough time. Leave it to cook for 5 something years. And quite frankly Forza has never touched Gran Turismo.
 

clarky

Gold Member
Fuck that noise! id is hopefully working on rebooting the Quake franchise. I'd rather have that than putting them on Halo.

Halo should go to The Coalition or Infinity Ward. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare was ridiculously well done. I'd give them a shot at a Halo campaign.
And take infinity ward off the biggest selling cash cow of all time?
 

Leyasu

Banned
kingfey kingfey back from the dead using an old alt created during a previous ban?

Anyway, you don’t close the studio and risk losing the talent. You replace the Managemt and the people who should be directing that talent.
 
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Apocryphon

Member
In which dimension are they doing MP well??
Did i miss something?
Mechanically. Infinite has excellent weapon balancing, and map design, good movement, good selection of game modes etc. The grind and lack of content are obviously negatives but it's hard to criticise how the multiplayer is structured and how it feels.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Could have waited a little while longer before making this thread. Now it’s clear your “is 343i as good as Sony’s best studios” thread last week was a troll job.

Back on topic, nobody’s going to close down a highly talented AAA studio that made one of the best, most highly rated FPS games in recent years. Despite a concerted campaign from trolls.

They’ll tighten up the management and controls at the studio and improve efficiency. Absolutely no way there aren’t repercussions for the rocky state of Infinite’s MP and the delays for the overall package.
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Hacking Blah Blah Blah Blah GIF by Giflytics

Indeed..But I'm in the mood.

Halo Infinite is WEIRD

I have a hypothesis why things went how they went but everyone could know by now.

I just woke up an hour ago


My just thought up take (no hyperbole) would've made the game at least 800 times as good.

Ready?

They should've made a Biodome like Halo CE's "Halo" combined with "The Truth and Reconciliation" and "Assault on the Control Room" with MP maps integrated and expanded versions of them.

Boom. Awesome campaign.

Banished are stupid. Their guns are ugly.
Grapple hook fine but shouldn't be a permanent equip (they had to)

Fixed MP.

Ingame currency aquirement for shop

More classic or new maps every (other month)

*sips coffee*
 
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Robb

Gold Member
I don’t think there’s any point in disbanding 343. Despite what an absolute train wreck the development of Halo Infinite was they still delivered a great game. A lot of people over there seem to know their stuff.

Imo they probably just need to get their shit together and get better management. Whoever has been running the studio during Halo Infinite has got to go since they turned the development in to a hellscape.
get your shit together GIF
 
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Chukhopops

Member
I know very little about this game, but didn't it win GOTY here and get good reviews?

Did something happen way after the game was released?
What happened is some people couldn’t swallow that pill so twice a month they make a long concernpost about it. They even fake concern about stuff that exists in other games since forever like SBMM or battle passes.

Then they use this post to pretend everyone hated it (although it’s always the same 5-10 people) and it shouldn’t have been GOTY (which is kinda true, #2 should have been #1).

If anything the campaign is better now since a few issues were fixed and co-op is launching shortly.
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Why disband a whole studio?

They're not that bad. Maybe just pull them off Halo (as others have said, I'd like to see what id can do with the franchise) and let them work on something else.

Maybe give them freedom to create an original IP without the pressure that comes with making a Halo game.
 

anthony2690

Banned
I believe it's time to expand 343 with more permanent employees.

They are clearly spread too thin, between forge, halo infinite online content, campaign expansion and whatever else they are working on.

I loved infinite and think it is probably the most fun I've had with a halo campaign, I just wish there was a little more variety with the environment.

Multiplayer again, easily the most fun I've had with halo, now my issues are no progression system & VERY slow rollout off content, meaning I play a couple days a week now, just because I still have a lot of fun when I play.

From all the stuff seen from forge so far, it looks mega impressive!

Overall I think halo infinite is incredible, but I also think it could have been so much more, I'm hoping the expansions bring the variety with the environments & I hope they employ enough people to get a steady and constant content output, that will keep people engaged.
 
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THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Halos 4 and 5 have the lowest metacritic scores in the franchise, MCC was a complete mess for a long time, and Infinite isn't finished, to the point that ODST and Reach have better campaigns. It's understandable that people want more competent studios to take over the series.

Which ignores the fact that the scores are really high overall and infinite scored really well. Also as much as mcc is panned its a fantastic collection that both looks and plays well.

I say be carefull what you wish for, you'll end up with some abomation with a great story that plays nothing like halo. Let's hand it over to Hideo Kojima so we can enjoy some 3 hour non skipable cut scenes to set the mood. Or yes hand it to ID for some shotguns and dark corridors.
 

Kikorin

Member
To me they don't need to be disbanded, but need some serious producer/directors and key figures that give a vision to deliver contents in time and high quality. As pointed from someone before, Nintendo proved that even an average studio can deliver awesome games if you put a competent director on top, for sure 343 don't lacks talented people on the technical and creative side, but needs someone that can put everything together in a meaningful way.
 

NikuNashi

Member
kingfey kingfey back from the dead using an old alt created during a previous ban?

Anyway, you don’t close the studio and risk losing the talent. You replace the Managemt and the people who should be directing that talent.
What if the Management is the talent and the problem is the staff, we have no idea who is good and who is bad. They may all be shit.
 
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The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
The worst thing is halo infinite ended up being well received, and there were a shit load who paid it, but they dropped the ball by not releasing content for it.

Like they thought they could get away with a few maps. Has thee even been new content?
 

Graciaus

Member
Firing some upper management and letting them make a new IP would probably be better. It's not like they made awful games it's just not what I want out of Halo.
 

DragonNCM

Member
Everyone knows it's time to disband 343. Halo is (was, vroom Forza vroom) Microsofts biggest brand, and was among the biggest brands in entertainment in general not just n gaming. While Halo still sells, it's due to people holding out hope, hope that's not going to come because we have had 343 since 2011, so it's been 11 years, I think we have seen enough. Halo may have held out, but it can't survive anymore damage, Microsoft won't even give MAU for Halo Infinite and that was supposed to be the new sales number. The active players are dropping like Halo 4, ny other company would have done something years ago.

Microsoft has purchased several studios over the years, several of them have made some of the most acclaimed first person RPG or first person shooters in recent years before they were brought out. Combined with the 5 talented people at the whole of 343, and maybe they can get some Forza guys in there too, they can create a new studio that actually knows how to treat their customers right, get games out on time, make sure people want to play them in the long term, and not try poorly implementing features from other games that don't work with Halo.

There's no reason to keep 343 around. You can even prevent layoffs and move staff from 343 to other parts of the company. Power point needs designers, MS word can use a new UI look. working at the excess Kinect inventory recycling plant, many new exciting opportunities for 343 staff, but Halo isn't it Jak. Microsoft said that Halo Infinite is supposed to be supported longer than other games in the series, but it's clear that's a very bad idea. I also don't believe it's going to happen, I see a new Halo game announcement in 2023 or 2024, and when it is announced that's going to accelerate infinite's death until only a few hundred hardcore players are left.

I can't think of a single release where the opportunity was gold, and 343 didn't drop the gold in a pit for Sony to pick up at the bottom and walk off. Or dropped inside of a Forza car and they drove off. Every opportunity was wasted.

Any other company would not have tolerated the years of errors made by the studio, and any chances they would have still gave 343 would have ended after the Halo Master Chief Collection debacle, which Microsoft somehow ignored. That should have been the end right there.

But now that Microsoft has acquired some of the best First-Person genre (puzzle, RPG, fps) developers out there, there's no longer a reason to not disband the studio and move the series to another studio, or create a new one. Several of which have played Halo, so you aren't starting from scratch.

I can't think of any reason why they shouldn't disband 343 and take advantage of their new acclaimed studios.
Just give it to Bethesda...problems solved.
 

DragonNCM

Member
Almost one year & there is no DLC for singleplayer campaign. Only fast cash multyplayer bullshit. This is last Halo game I'm playing from 343i.
 

Mister Wolf

Member
It was a mistake trying to overhaul that old game engine. Should have moved on and switched to Unreal. Could have been helped by The Coalition with technical issues. CD Projekt Red realize they made the same mistake and are rectifying it moving forward.
 

Shut0wen

Member
Been saying this sincr halo 5 came out, ill give them credit for infinte like the gameplay is 10/10 but it lacks so serious content, campaign is just far cry (with less filler which is good) i do think 343 should have 1 last shot with jason staton being there but he'll probs leave in afew years
 

Shut0wen

Member
It was a mistake trying to overhaul that old game engine. Should have moved on and switched to Unreal. Could have been helped by The Coalition with technical issues. CD Projekt Red realize they made the same mistake and are rectifying it moving forward.
Cd projekt red didnt give there staff enough time to utilize there engine, huge difference between a gane being made in 5 years compared to 2
 

Leyasu

Banned
What if the Management is the talent and the problem is the staff, we have no idea who is good and who is bad. They may all be shit.
Well shouldn’t the managers also be responsible for hiring and firing? So if everyone else is bad, shouldn’t they also have been gradually replacing the deadwood over the years?
 
I think it's counterproductive to close entire studios like that, and failure leads to experience. Maybe they need to rebuild their engine and work pipeline from the ground up, I don't know. Most of the stories I heard were about old code that causes problems but they can't get rid of it at this point, similar to Bethesda.

Infinite is the best playing Halo in my opinion and there's a lot of parts of it that I like. I barely have complaints about the game honestly aside from the limited scope of the art direction and biomes, which appears to be last minute cuts due to their development issues.

I'm fine with them trying to fix their shit so stuff comes out in a more timely manner. That's my only real issue. What they have put out with Infinite is honestly fantastic, and I liked it.
 

Topher

Gold Member
They just need to fire management. Infinite is a good game despite some of the shitty high level influences.

I agree. The studio just needs new leadership. Halo Infinite's campaign was a lot of fun, but having to bring in Staten back in to make difficult decisions tells me the studios leadership doesn't know what they are doing. Put Staten in charge of 343.
 
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