Recently, it was officially announced that the name of 343 Industries has been changed to Halo Studios, marking a new dawn for the Halo franchise. A former employee of the team named Will Waltz criticized the studio, urging developers not to join 343 Industries because it is not worth the trouble.
For those who don’t know, Will Waltz is a former employee of the studio who worked with them for 13 years. He now says that when he left, he felt a heavy burden lifted off his shoulders. He wrote on LinkedIn these harsh words, describing the studio’s treatment of its employees as restrictive and harmful.
He added that it stifles the creativity of the employees and makes them mere cogs in a giant machine that does not veer off the path laid out for them. Waltz said that more than just changing the studio’s name to Halo Studios is needed for improvements to be made. He also confirmed that demands to transition to UE have been around for a while, but they led to the dismissal of some employees. Now, the decision has been made to change the development engine.
Halo Studios has spent the past two years working on Project Foundry, an expansive technological showcase that will serve as the foundation for the future of Halo on Unreal Engine 5, while the developer is also currently working on several new Halo games.
