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The studio has made it extremely clear that Xbox's flagship, Halo, isn't going anywhere out of the hands of 343 Industries. The news comes at a time when the market has been filled with rumors, all suggesting that the mega-franchise could change ownership. It comes on the back of troubling times for the studio, which has been gravely affected by job cuts amidst a global slowdown.
When the news of the downsizing broke, many felt this could end 343 Industries and its connection with its premier franchise. Since going separate ways with Bungie, Xbox has relied on its in-house studio to develop one of its most popular franchises.
However, things haven't always been vital in terms of the quality of the product, and all hell broke loose with Halo Infinite. The most recent release was supposed to be the foundation of the future for the franchise and take it in a new direction.
Its launch was quite successful in numbers, and new players quickly joined the free-to-play multiplayer modes. Sadly, things rapidly went downhill as 343 Industries couldn't meet the expectations of its player base.
Halo Infinite's failure has been a significant loss of face for both Xbox and 343 Industries
Irrespective of best efforts, things have gone differently than planned. Delays and unnecessary changes have yet to help either, with the cancelation of the campaign co-op causing massive animosity. Then came the issue of the global slowdown, which has cost the studio heavily. Out of all the Xbox studios, 343 Industries has had the worst in job losses.
All of this culminated in speculations that Xbox would take Halo out of their hands. The franchise's future, which looks quite bleak, needs to find something revolutionary. A significant role will be played in the upcoming Tatanka mode, which could rekindle the interest of the player base.
But it has again been confirmed that things aren't as bleak as they seem, and today's official message clears all the speculation. 343 Industries has promised to work on developing the current project and making it the game it's meant to be.
Based on today's message, the focus of the future is equally split between single and multiplayer modes. This should bode well for the fans, who want to see more in a narrative-based campaign. Moreover, the live service could have been more satisfactory, to begin with, so putting all hopes on it could be naive as well.
It now remains to be seen what awaits the franchise and the studio behind it for its future. Xbox will need a strong 2023 after a barebones end to last year, which saw delays to Redfall and Starfield. Bethesda has also been affected by job cuts, so it's not all rosy. A strong 2023 rebound by Halo could do a world of good for Microsoft's gaming division and 343 Industries.
