A bit late, but the game’s co-op mode, Forge for map design (in open beta), and Mission Replay (all of which have been delayed several times!) were released, and Tom French left the studio at the same time.

French announced his departure on Twitter, saying, “After over 11 1/2 years on Halo, I step out of my Spartan armor for the last time today to head off to new adventures. It’s been a massive honor to have been part of a game I loved as a player and admired as a developer. I couldn’t be more proud of my time at 343 Industries.”

We previously reported that Bonnie Ross, the director of engineering and later the head of the studio for fifteen years, had also quit (she left, citing a family health situation). Halo Infinite’s development was tumultuous and delayed several times, so it wasn’t among the November 2020 Xbox Series launch titles: it wasn’t finally released until December 2021 (preceded by the free-to-play multiplayer), and even then, it was incomplete. The studio’s management team has also changed considerably since then.

In November, Halo Infinite’s big winter update was released, and 343 Industries thanked fans for their patience: “We know it certainly hasn’t been the smoothest or quickest ride, but with the Winter Update, we have an opportunity to show our thanks for the community’s dedication and feedback which serves as the north star guiding us to evolve the player experience of Halo Infinite. The Winter Update marks a major step forward for our game and studio, but this is the first step of that evolution. The team is actively working on key player experience priorities across the game to address feedback areas, and we are targeting another game update before the end of this year. Your support is greatly appreciated, and we can’t wait to turn this corner with you all in 2023 as we look to shorter seasons, a more regular stream of content, and bigger things to come,” wrote Alex Wakeford, their community writer.

Halo Infinite’s third season, Echoes Within, is scheduled to run from March to June. Texas-based Certain Affinity is also working on something for the game (as mentioned in September).

Source: VGC