343 apologizes for naming Juneteenth cosmetic after an ape
Brendan Sinclair
Managing Editor
Wednesday 15th June 2022
343 Industries yesterday pulled a Halo Infinite cosmetic marking Juneteenth -- the US holiday celebrating the freeing of slaves -- that was named after an ape.
Reddit user Smissmass questioned the naming of the "Bonobo" nameplate palette yesterday, and it was renamed "Freedom" later in the day.
"We were made aware of a palette option for our Juneteenth emblem that contained a term that was offensive and hurtful," 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross said on Twitter. "The team immediately addressed this issue via an update.
"We are a studio and franchise that is committed to inclusivity where everyone is welcome and supported to be their true self. On behalf of 343, I apologize for making a celebrated moment a hurtful moment."
Screenshot from Smissmass' Reddit post
Ross did not explain how the palette went live with that name in the first place, or what 343 would do to prevent anything of the sort happening in the future.
343 Industries' senior community manager John Junyszek gave slightly more explanation, telling one Twitter user, "While the original name refers to an internal toolset, it was not intended to be applied to this content and we recognize the harm it may have caused. The palette was incorrectly named and we immediately renamed it via an update."
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