343 Industries addresses rumors that the studio is no longer making Halo cover image

343 Industries addresses rumors that the studio is no longer making Halo

343 Industries has confirmed that will continue as the developers of the Halo franchise, despite rumors of the contrary.

Layoffs are taking place all over the video game industry. From small outlets to giant corporations, it seems like gaming is taking a step in a different direction. One of the most notable companies of late to cut jobs was Microsoft. And with that, rumors began to circulate that 343 Industries would no longer be making Halo.

Bungie, the original creators of Halo, split from Microsoft in 2007. That saw the creation of 343 under Microsoft, who retained the rights to the franchise. Since then, 343 Industries has dished out nearly a dozen main Halo entries and spinoffs.

Many were led to believe that this would be the end of an era. The studio head of 343 Industries ensured that is not the case.

Rumors of 343 no longer making Halo games

After the Microsoft layoffs took place, including those associated with 343, the future of Halo was immediately questioned. Rumors took shape, indicating that 343 would take on more of an overseeing role for the iconic franchise rather than directly develop any more games.

The internal struggles with Halo Infinite are no secret. The studio canned local co-operative multiplayer and has commented several times on the struggles of the most recent title. Still, the HCS delivers a strong esports scene and additional content is on its way from outside developers.

A tweet in French, from Halo podcast Bathrobe Spartan, is the main source of these rumors. The lengthy Twitter thread discusses what's to come for Halo Infinite and where things went wrong. Through Twitter's translate feature, the thread states that all content planned for the game is still coming.

It continues to touch on Microsoft's attempt to put the franchise in other's hands. Other developing studios assisted with Halo Infinite's creation. SkyBox Labs, Sperasoft, The Coalition, Certain Affinity, and Atomhawk all played a part in the game's development, while some continue to do so with additional content.

This culminates with the sentiment that Halo is far from finished, but 343 Industries is no longer at the helm. Well, 343 has outright refuted those claims.

A simple statement addresses the future of Halo

With worry and confusion surrounding Halo fans, something had to be done. 343 Industries studio head, Pierre Hintze, made things as clear as could be. The official Halo account Tweeted out a statement from Hintze dispelling all of the rumors regarding the studio's involvement with the franchise.

The statement reads, "Halo and Master Chief are here to stay. 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and in the future, including epic stories, multiplayer, and more of what makes Halo great." It is then signed off on by Hintze.

This likely means that the roadmap for content has not changed. Even with help from outside sources, 343 Industries has confirmed that Halo is staying put and support for Halo Infinite in its second year will not peter out.

Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more Halo news.