Halo Infinite studio apologies for 'offensive and hurtful' word in Juneteenth cosmetic

pcgamer.com:

343 Industries head Bonnie Ross has apologized for the release of a Halo Infinite(opens in new tab) cosmetic intended to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States that included a color scheme with an «offensive and hurtful» name.

The epic nameplate is called Juneteenth, named after a US holiday which commemorates the end of slavery. But a playerplayers quickly noticed that a secondary color palette was available for the nameplate, named «Bonobo.» The bonobo is a type of great ape, which has an obviously racist connotation when used in reference to Juneteenth.

343 quickly renamed the palette to «Freedom»—YouTuber Sean W(opens in new tab) said it was «the fastest fix» he'd ever seen—and Ross issued a brief but unreserved apology on Twitter.

«We were made aware of a palette option for our Juneteenth emblem that contained a term that was offensive and hurtful. The team immediately addressed this issue via an update,» she tweeted.

«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.»

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. (2/2)June 15, 2022

Ross didn't comment on how the name ended up attached to the cosmetic in the first place, but 343 senior community manager John Junyszek said it was a reference to an "internal toolset(opens in new tab)." An image of the software was posted by streamer Mint Blitz(opens in new tab), while Kotaku(opens in new tab) said that it's an «asset-editing program» in use at