Phil Spencer claims 343 remains ‘critically important to Halo’ despite wave of cuts
Microsoft’s head of gaming has claimed that 343 “is critically important to the success of Halo,” despite a recent wave of job cuts.
Speaking in a new interview with IGN, Xbox boss Phil Spencer reflected on the turbulent few weeks for the Halo developer, which resulted in the studio having to tweet reassurances that it will continue to work on the franchise.
“What we’re doing now is we want to make sure that leadership team is set up with the flexibility to build the plan that they need to go build. And Halo will remain critically important to what Xbox is doing, and 343 is critically important to the success of Halo.”
Last week, Microsoft confirmed plans to lay off approximately 4.5% of the US technology giant’s 220,000-person workforce (around 10,000 people).
Reports from Bloomberg and Lords of Gaming then identified 343 as one of several game studios to be affected, with the latter claiming the Halo developer had suffered a “significant” number of layoffs, particularly those working on single-player elements.
Following this, 343 took to social media to address the growing speculation over the future of the studio, with a brief statement.
“Halo and Master Chief are here to stay,” it wrote. “343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and in the future, including epic stories, multiplayer, and more of what makes Halo great.”
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Spencer wouldn’t be drawn specifically on the future of the franchise, stopping short on discussing what’s next for Halo Infinite.
“I’m going to let 343 talk about the plans that they have right now, that people know they have the next season that’s coming up, and they’re excited about that,” Spencer said.
“Th
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