Microsoft announced that it would be laying off 10,000 workers yesterday from various divisions, including 343 Industries, and some former employees of the Halo studio have taken that opportunity to criticize their old employer via social media. Among them is Patrick Wren, former senior multiplayer designer on Halo Infinite, who claimed last night that the game should be in better shape but isn’t because of “incompetent leadership” at Microsoft and/or 343 Industries. Another former employee, Tyler Owens, expressed similar negativity, tweeting that he is “really tired” of Microsoft killing what he loves.
“The layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened and Halo Infinite should be in a better state,” reads a tweet from Wren. “The reason for both of those things is incompetent leadership up top during Halo Infinite development causing massive stress on those working hard to make Halo the best it can be.”
I do want to make sure that I call out how amazing the Multiplayer Leadership team was during development. https://t.co/wo6AfVyoDO
— Patrick Wren (@Witdarkstar) January 19, 2023
“As a Halo fan I’m really tired of Microsoft business practices and policies slowly killing the thing I love,” said Owens. “Between the contracting policies they abuse for tax incentives and layoffs in the face of gigantic profits/executive bonuses… they set Halo up for failure.”
As a Halo fan I'm really tired of Microsoft business practices & policies slowly killing the thing I love
— Tyler Owens (@heytred) January 18, 2023
between the contracting policies they abuse for tax incentives & layoffs in the face of gigantic profits/executive bonuses… they set Halo up for failure
Bloomberg, which broke the news about Microsoft’s layoffs extending to some of its video game divisions yesterday, including Starfield’s Bethesda Game Studios, has since learned that Joseph Staten will be leaving the Halo studio. Staten is a veteran of the franchise that served as Halo Infinite’s head of creative. He won’t be leaving Microsoft, however: a tweet from Jason Schreier has seemingly confirmed that he’ll be rejoining Xbox Game Studios Publishing.