Body blow after body blow keeps being dealt to the 343 Industries staff. First it was Bonnie Ross, the Head of 343 Industries, who left the studio after 15 years for family medical reasons. Now it's apparently David Berger, the engine lead for the Slipspace Engine used at 343 Industries, who's supposedly leaving, according to Lords of Gaming and Windows Central. Let's take a closer look at this situation, shall we?
What's happening to 343 Industries staff?
If it seems like everything is going wrong at 343 Studios, that might not be entirely wrong. The studio was created to manage the Halo franchise after Bungie's departure following Halo Reach, and it arguably hasn't been able to capitalize on the goodwill or replicate the success that Bungie managed with the long-running franchise. Basically, Halo 4 was an OK first effort, Halo 5 was mediocre at best, Halo: Master Chief Collection launched in a disastrous state and stayed that way for years, and Halo Infinite was better but has been receiving new content at a glacial pace. Something has to change, and whether or not 343 Industries wants it or not, key 343 Industries staff are being replaced or shuffled around, and that's when they're not just departing.
At this point, you have to ask what's going right for 343 Industries and the Halo series in general. A few weeks ago, we received word that Season 3 content wouldn't be coming until next year, which considering the limitless amount of cash Microsoft has available is extremely perplexing. You'd think that eventually Microsoft and 343 Industries would solve their content release pacing problem, but nope, we're still receiving content at a glacial pace. With Bonnie Ross and now apparently David Berger gone, maybe some new voices can come in and help right the ship. We'll have to see.
For more information on Halo and any other 343 Industries staff changes, stay tuned to TechRaptor.
