Narrative cutscenes to be axed from future Halo Infinite seasons

destructoid.com:

Bad news for Halo lore fans, as developer 343 Industries has confirmed that it will no longer be producing narrative cutscenes for Halo Infinite — The cinematics, which generally drop with each and every new season, will no longer be a part of the updates from Season 4 onwards.

Speaking on Twitter, 343 community director Brian Jarrard explains the decision.

“As we’ve refined our top priorities and shifted resources internally this year, we had to make the decision to forego seasonal narrative cutscenes to make room for the team to continue focusing on highly requested features, content, and improvements for Halo Infinite,” writes Jarrard.

PSA: As we've refined our top priorities and shifted resources internally this year, we had to make the decision to forego seasonal narrative cutscenes to make room for the team to continue focusing on highly requested features, content, and improvements for Halo Infinite.

These…

— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) June 19, 2023

“These trade-offs are never easy to make, and we truly appreciate your support as the team works to make Halo Infinite the best experience possible. While the job is far from over, Season 4 marks another big step forward and we remain committed to this journey with the Halo community.”

Of course, 343 Industries was one of the Microsoft subsidiaries that was hit by layoffs at the start of the year, which forces the dedicated Halo team to prioritize its manpower and talent on the core elements of the sci-fi shooter. The studio has recently spoken of its aim to improve many areas of Halo Infinite‘s gameplay, with incoming additions such as a new career ranking system and the return of Infection Mode, both of which launched this week as part of Season 4’s content.

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