Once Microsoft’s flagship franchise, the Halo series made a huge impact on the gaming world and failed to offer a viable alternative to rival Sony. But over time, the popularity of the series began to wane, and this decline became especially evident with Halo Infinite, released in 2021. While the game garnered a lot of attention at launch, it didn’t make as lasting an impact as its predecessors.
Why did Halo series suddenly fall out of favor?
While there are many opinions on the reasons for this decline, Briggs William Crane, a former 343 Industries employee, claimed that Microsoft’s contract labor policies were to blame. Crane, who now works at Epic Games, said that Microsoft’s short-termization of its contractors had a negative impact on the Halo franchise. Commenting on a video made on a YouTube channel called HiddenXperia, Crane said that Microsoft fires its contract workers after 18 months, causing them to lose their jobs when they are at their most productive.
According to Crane, a large portion of the workforce at 343 Industries is made up of contractors, which has resulted in the studio’s inability to retain talented developers. In particular, the entire former Master Chief Collection team was made up of contractors, which Crane argues has led to an overall decline in the quality of Microsoft’s exclusive games.
Halo Infinite was released in 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms, with the game’s multiplayer mode available for free. While the game has continued to be supported with updates and events over time, fans have been disappointed with the decline in quality of Microsoft’s first-party games in general.
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