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Brad Sams: There’s been further executive turnover at 343 Industries

Neat

Neat

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,107
New York City
As part of a longer video about Microsoft Surface, Brad Sams had the following aside regarding 343i:

Hearing that there's been departures from 343 yet again... just keep an eye on this space, of what's happening with executive turnover at 343
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He did qualify this by saying that it's not set in stone but still, what do we make of this? This, as we know, follows news of Halo Infinite creative director Tim Longo leaving the studio just a few weeks ago. Business as usual in the AAA gaming industry IMO but I'll bet some of us are gonna be quite concerned about the game.

Timestamped here:
 
Mr_DyZ

Mr_DyZ

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Jun 12, 2019
776
Still waiting for 343 to do great things. Had quite possibly the worst game launch known to man (timing wise) in MCC, albeit they have gone above & beyond to correct/fix it. Halo 4 was still also one of, if not the worst Halo titles as a complete package. Halo 5 was fine. Have literally no expectations for Infinite. If it's great, i'm glad. If it's poorly received, it won't be surprising.
 
bsigg

bsigg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,556
Was just about to make this.

I wonder what's going on, I guess we'll find out sooner rather than later now that people will be on the lookout for changes to people's LinkedIn.

Granjinha said:
343 is my least trusted studio inside MS so yeah i think Infinite is going to be a disaster
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I don't think there is any way the game is a disaster.
 
AHA-Lambda

AHA-Lambda

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,803
Executive turnover could indicate a culture problem but uncertain if that's enough to infer how it may or may not impact the quality of Infinite
 
scitek

scitek

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,072
Mr_DyZ said:
Still waiting for 343 to do great things. Had quite possibly the worst game launch known to man (timing wise) in MCC, albeit they have gone above & beyond to correct/fix it. Halo 4 was still also one of, if not the worst Halo titles as a complete package. Halo 5 was fine. Have literally no expectations for Infinite. If it's great, i'm glad. If it's poorly received, it won't be surprising.
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I'll always give them credit for making 60fps a priority.
 
Hucast

Hucast

alt account
Banned
Mar 25, 2019
3,598
Sounds like they are fixing it up to me. I mean it's not surprising when they're trying to make the best halo after knowing that halo 5 wasnt what the people wanted
 
VinFTW

VinFTW

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,470
I expected this given how disappointing the last two halo games have been.

Not to mention the fundamental flaws in how some of the execs think of Halo.

It's clear the main team didn't clearly understand what made Halo so special.

Glad the changing of the guard is occurring and Halo infinite looks to correct that.

Hope everybody lands on their feet tho.
 
Allyougame

Allyougame

Member
Oct 25, 2017
840
Can't be any worse than what it's already been.

I've completely lost interest in the Halo franchise thanks to 343 Industries, and the vapid E3 2019 presentation only reinforced that.
 
Mr_DyZ

Mr_DyZ

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Jun 12, 2019
776
janusff said:
They played Gears 5 and were like "shit, I guess we really have to step it up this time"

/s
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Gears 5 does a lot of things right, but they took several steps back in certain areas. Namely MP things like customization/cosmetics, Tour-of-Duty, etc.
 
Sulik2

Sulik2

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,168
A Halo game having development issues isn't exactly new. Halo 2, 3 and Guardians were all rebooted campaign wise 12 months before launch iirc. So nothing new here.
 
Gundam

Gundam

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,801
I think they said we wouldn't see Halo Infinite until next E3, but honestly I think after the mostly-good-but-tempered reaction to the E3 2019 cutscene, I really hope we get something at TGA, X019, or sometime in the spring.

Just something to instill confidence or indicate the actual direction for the gameplay beyond emotion and art.
 
Detective Pidgey

Detective Pidgey

Alt Account
Banned
Jun 4, 2019
6,255
Fucking hell. How about we get some positive news regarding 343 now? We're more than a year from its release and I don't want to have to start worrying, fuck no, I want to look forward to it and trust that it will be very worthwhile.
 
iareharSon

iareharSon

Member
Oct 30, 2017
8,940
Gundam said:
More likely, 343 would crunch. Infinite is key to the launch of Scarlett.
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I really doubt it, especially with the MCC launch looming and the preconceived notion that their first party efforts lack the quality and polish of Sony / Nintendo that they're trying to shake.

Phil mentioned in the past that they'd force games out due to having so little games on the horizon to compensate. But with all of the studios that have going now, with the potential for more down the road, they can afford to allow ample development time.
 
Thera

Thera

Banned
Feb 28, 2019
12,876
France
Neat said:
Halo Infinite creative director Tim Longo leaving the studio just a few weeks ago. Business as usual in the AAA gaming industry IMO
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Creative director leaving little more than one year prior to launch is not "business as usual". The fact we didn't saw a single second of gameplay at E3 was weird. With his departure, which is often done way before it is announced (forced vacation), the abscence of gameplay isn't weird anymore.
 
SweetNicole

SweetNicole

The Old Guard
Member
Oct 24, 2017
6,542
"executive turnover" is such a vague term; it could mean literally anything

departures aren't always bad things nor are they always indicative of problems within a company
 
Theorry

Theorry

Member
Oct 27, 2017
61,028
So who is it? I mean executive can be many people inside 343.
 
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Detective Pidgey

Detective Pidgey

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Banned
Jun 4, 2019
6,255
harSon said:
I really doubt it, especially with the MCC launch looming and the preconceived notion that their first party efforts lack the quality and polish of Sony / Nintendo that they're trying to shake.

Phil mentioned in the past that they'd force games out due to having so little games on the horizon to compensate. But with all of the studios that have going now, with the potential for more down the road, they can afford to allow ample development time.
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If Scarlett doesn't launch with Halo.....what are they going to launch with? A new Forza Motorsport? I'm sorry but that would be laughable. They have to come out swinging. How long has it been in the works? I mean, damn.
 
Procheno

Procheno

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Nov 14, 2018
2,879
They're probably trying to make Halo Infinite the Breath of the Wild of Xbox

A cross gen top tier "most expensive game we've ever made" exclusive game and launch title for their next generation hardware that will be synonymous with the system as the go to game that sells the system, revitalizes the franchise to new record heights for a new generation of Halo, and could probably single handedly propel it to success alone
 
Gundam

Gundam

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,801
harSon said:
I really doubt it, especially with the MCC launch looming and the preconceived notion that their first party efforts lack the quality and polish of Sony / Nintendo that they're trying to shake.

Phil mentioned in the past that they'd force games out due to having so little games on the horizon to compensate. But with all of the studios that have going now, with the potential for more down the road, they can afford to allow ample development time.
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They certainly could, but I suspect they want their poster-boy day one for next-gen. Unless the development is super disastrous so far, which I'm not terribly convinced of, I don't see a delay happening.
 
iareharSon

iareharSon

Member
Oct 30, 2017
8,940
Detective Pidgey said:
If Scarlett doesn't launch with Halo.....what are they going to launch with? A new Forza Motorsport? I'm sorry but that would be laughable. They have to come out swinging. How long has it been in the works? I mean, damn.
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They have 13 studios now, so it can be game(s) from one or more them. There's also 2nd party partnerships, and whatever acquisitions they make moving forward. You're still viewing Microsoft through a Halo, Forza, and Gears lens - and while that's what they've been for some time - they have the necessary bandwidth to break that mold. Microsoft hasn't released a console with Halo since the first game in the series. The game can be launch, launch window, or launch year - but that alone isn't going to dictate whether their portfolio of titles for Scarlet is laughable or not.
 

jviggy43

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
18,184
So much is riding on infinite that im not sure its gonna be anything but disappointing. Hoping for the best tho. Halo is one of my all time favorite franchises. I want more than anything for it to regain what it once was
 

Deleted member 4761

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,595
TAH3145 said:
Halo infinite is going to be a mess.
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tenor.gif
 
DorkLord54

DorkLord54

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Oct 27, 2017
4,466
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Hopefully it means nothing, but I have my doubts. I don't envy 343i at all, the pressure must be high since this game will likely make-or-break them.
 
elenarie

elenarie

Game Developer
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Jun 10, 2018
9,814
Thera said:
Creative director leaving little more than one year prior to launch is not "business as usual". The fact we didn't saw a single second of gameplay at E3 was weird. With his departure, which is often done way before it is announced (forced vacation), the abscence of gameplay isn't weird anymore.
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What did he do? How many creative directors were there? Did they need him? Was there a culture issue? Perhaps he wanted to leave for other things? Perhaps, I dunno, the dinosaurs are not really instinct.

Some people leaving doesn't spell the doom of the company. If anything, it allows people with fresh perspectives and eyes to be promoted to more relevant positions. :)
 
gofreak

gofreak

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,736
Unless he has information of a notable context around that staff movement, it's not newsworthy. A chunk of people move jobs in a given period in any company.
 
elenarie

elenarie

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Jun 10, 2018
9,814
TAH3145 said:
Their track record is terrible. There's lots of turnover. Nothing points to infinite being good.
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That means absolutely nothing. Shortly after the release of Witcher 2, more than 60% of the employees in CDPR left the company, and we ended up with Witcher 3, one of the best games ever made.

Old people go, new people come, things change. Nothing newsworthy.
 
VinFTW

VinFTW

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,470
TAH3145 said:
Their track record is terrible. There's lots of turnover. Nothing points to infinite being good.
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Their track record is not "terrible".

Their last two games, while not my favorites were in no way shape or form bad games. "lots of turnover"

What does that even mean? One creative director leaving who had poor philosophy on Halo to begin with, also responsible for one of the worst campaigns out of the franchise is "lots"? We don't even have details on whos leaving now.

It could be some of the people responsible for the poor reception of the last few games.

"nothing points to Infinite being good"

Why? because you say so?

If anything this is the most excited Halo fans have been in a long time. The marketing has been spot on (return to its roots, classic art design, new tech/engine, 60fps again) and people who have long lost interest in Halo are now hyping it up.

Don't spread this bullshit. Be better than that. Classic Era....
 
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