Halo Infinite Changes Offensive Juneteenth Nameplate

gamerant.com:

Halo Infinite is a live-service title complete with seasonal roadmaps, events, updates, and more, and last night it released an update that has sparked a huge controversy. In short, it released a new Halo Infinite nameplate in honor of Juneteenth, or June 19, which adopts the Pan-African flag depicting black, red, and green stripes, as well as golden birds. This is a common symbol of Juneteenth, but this nameplate came with a racist name.

As many know, Juneteenth is a federal holiday—officially recognized last year by President Joe Biden—that celebrates the end of slavery. This holiday lines up with the Union Army’s emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, which was the last confederate state to still have slavery at the time. It’s easy to see why games like Halo Infinite would want to celebrate such a momentous occasion, but it initially dropped the ball.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is Crossing Over with Halo Infinite

New cosmetic items were added to Halo Infinite’s multiplayer last night. A specific nameplate option tied to Juneteenth, however, was titled “Bonobo,” which is a type of ape. The racist implications of such a title are immediately clear, but upon this discovery, theHalo Infinite developer 343 quickly changed the name to “Freedom.” Obviously, this is a much better name.

343 Industries Head Bonnie Ross quickly stated that once the team was aware of the issue, it was fixed with an update. It was indeed a quick fix, and Ross would continue on to state that 343 is dedicated to inclusivity and apologized for “making a celebrated moment a hurtful moment.” Halo Sr. Community Manager John Junyszek also weighed in, revealing that the original name comes from an internal toolset, which was not supposed to be applied