Summary
With theannouncement of a drastic change in name and leadership- ahead of the final match within theHaloWorld Championships on October 6th, 2024 - 343 Industries' seventeen years working on theHalofranchise ended. Transformed into the aptly named “Halo Studios,” the developers proclaim they are “entering a new dawn forHalo.” As such, the spotted past of 343 Industries' time at the franchise’s helm can be put into perspective.
For every seemingly botched Sangheili design and missed opportunity, it’s unfair to say that 343 Industries has nothing to show for its seventeen years of working onHalotitles. From cementing Master Chief’s legacy titles to introducing much-beloved new elements,Xbox’s flagship franchisehas been - for better or worse - irreversibly shaped by the studio.
1Increasing The Pace Of Play
Even Without Spartan Abilities, 343 Industries Made Combat Faster
Although the Bungie-era ofHalotitles hasremained seemingly favored by critics and fans, the landscape of first-person shooters has drastically changed in the years since 343 Industries took over the reins of the franchise. Respawn Entertainment’s influential work with theTitanfalluniverse, alongsideCall of Duty’s FPS dominance, has increased the pace of combat substantially since 2010.
With instances of faster-paced PvP game modes likeHalo 5: Guardians' “Breakout” and the inclusion of sprint inHalosince 2015, 343 Industries has had a constant eye on increasing the pace of play. While they have not always succeeded in striking a balance, their achievements lie in bringing the solid core ofHalogameplay into a world where it plays as fluidly as any of its FPS contemporaries.
2Striving To Strike A More Balanced Weapon Meta
Diversifying The Sandbox Beyond A Battle Rifle & Magnum
When comparing notes on the most efficient way to kill an enemy Spartan across theHaloseries, a focus on bestowing players with powerful precision weapons in the Bungie-era titles is apparent.Halo: Combat Evolvedhad the M6D Magnum,Halo 2had the BR55 Battle Rifle, andReachhad the M392 DMR.
Contrast that with 343 Industries' attempts to diversify players' arsenals, with elemental firearms such as the Disruptor pistol and bringing increased damage toHalostaples such as the SMG. Although precision weapons still arguably dominate competitive multiplayer, 343 Industries' openness toadapting and altering the weapon sandboxto accommodate more combat styles is refreshing for the series moving forward.
3Attempting To Update Moment-To-Moment Gameplay
From The Ground Pound & Grappleshot To An Open-World Design
One such aspect of theHaloseries that has brought it such critical and commercial acclaim has been its distancing from traditional cramped corridors and closed-lane level design.Halo: Combat Evolved’s opening levels act as a conscious pushback against a more limited design layout, with the claustrophobia of “The Pillar of Autumn” released at the outset of “Halo.”
343 Industries may have struggled with somearguably by-the-numbers level designin its traditional titles but with the 2021 release ofHalo: Infinite’s open-world campaign, some players have harkened it to “taking The Silent Cartographer’s foundation and cranking it up to 11.“As a result of this openness, alongside experimental additions to theHaloformula such asHalo 5: Guardians' Warzone and Spartan Abilities, 343 Industries has seemingly made a conscious effort to injectHalo’s moment-to-moment gameplay with a level of diversity arguably unseen in Bungie’s FPSHalotitles.
4Willing To Introduce Weapons, Factions, & Characters
Expanding The Sandbox & Character Roster
Although 343 Industries may have stumbled with some of its additions to theHalofranchise, most notably the Promethean Crawler and the Z-130 Suppressor, its continuous evolution of theHalosandbox stands in stark contrast with Bungie’s more reserved approach. Although, Bungie did introduce additional Covenant species like the Brutes and Drones and weapons such as the Needle Rifle, the level of constant pursuit of something new is somewhat unique to 343 Industries' tenure with the franchise.
Spartan Locke and Team Osiris may not have been a warranted replacement for following Master Chief, but the ideas behind their inclusion are intriguing enough that they have been explained further by multiple aspects of the expandedHalouniverse. Beyond that, theintroduction of new factions like the Prometheans, Endless, and The Banished have made for an arguably more lived-in feeling for players, and the destructive capabilities of the Mantis and “Hydra” rocket launchers have become quick fan favorites.
5Providing Astronomical Depth To Forge Mode
From Expanded Item Libraries To AI Scripting
As an additional pillar of the gameplay experience ofHalo 3, alongside Theater and File Share, the 2007 introduction of the Forge map editing tool became a swift fan-favorite staple of the FPS franchise. Incrementally evolving inthe remaining releases of Bungie’s tenure with the franchise, 343 Industries has arguably overhauled the legacy game mode more than even its initial creators.
Although 343 Industries releasedHalo 5: GuardiansandHalo: Infinitewithout the much-loved system, the outcry from fans of the series was enough that it was promptly added to the titles post-launch. Beyond that, the Forge mode that was implemented was not only as capable as those that came before but expansively overhauled to include dynamic systems such as lighting, color variations, and even AI scripting. With the 2023Halo: InfiniteSeason 5: Reckoning update, Campaign AI scripting was added to the title, and as such theHalocommunity has even gone so far as to create its own custom campaigns. While the foundations laid in 2007 were revolutionary for the franchise, the continuous updates of recent 343 Industries titles are arguably the game mode at its very best.
6Humanizing The Master Chief
From Halo 4 On, John-117 Is Less Avatar & More Character
Bungie’s interpretation of Microsoft’s flagship character, Master Chief John-117, is arguably the purest form of the character. The necessity that he remained a conduit for player expression resulted in him appearing as less of a personality and more of a blank slate. Bolstered byexpanded universe materialsand a pursuit to inject the Master Chief with a hearty dose of emotion, 343 Industries has formed a version of the Spartan that players can not only occupy but empathize with.
Starting strong with their first original title, John-117’s harrowing backstory of child indoctrination and grief in the face of losing his companion Cortana throws 343 Industries' version of the Master Chief into an emotional quagmire. Reinforced by every progressive entry in the Reclaimer Saga and beyond, Master Chief now seemingly no longer shirks off the weight of loss and war but goes through the tumultuous stages of grief and acceptance in a much less mechanical way.
7Endorsing & Incorporating The Halo Expanded Universe
Characters & Themes Shared Across Literature, Games, & Motion Pictures
Regardless of the critical or fan reception of the multipleHaloprojects seen with the franchise’s Xbox FPS roots, the fact that the series has a foothold in the worlds of literature, television, and cinema is a landmark statement to 343 Industries' progression of the sci-fi IP. Now more than just video games, the burgeoning novelizations and multimedia projects of theHalofranchise that existed in the Bungie era are more than just tumultuous additions to the source material.
From audio dramas, novelizations, and live-action motion pictures - such asHUNT the TRUTH, theKilo-5 trilogy, andHalo: Nightfallrespectively - 343 Industries has overseen an explosion ofHalocontent during their time at the helm of the series. While the quality of these titles can vary from genre-defining pieces of fiction toseemingly unjust interpretationsof theHaloseries' universe, the fact that such works exist is tantamount to 343 Industries' time with the franchise.
WhileThe Master Chief Collection’ssix-game retrospective packagehas cemented itself as a staple ofHalo’s legacy content, the memories of fans who played the title earlier in its life are seemingly somewhat tainted. With a botched launch riddled with technical problems, these issues reached a fever pitch when,then Studio Head at 343 Industries, Bonnie Rossoffered her “heartfelt apologies for the delay and the negative aspects of your experience to date.”
However, in the coming years since its shaky start,The Master Chief Collectionhas expanded to include side games likeHalo 3: ODSTandHalo: Reachwhile also being ported to PC, and fixing/balancing bugs and gameplay. Though the bitter taste of its 2014 launch still lingers with some fans of the franchise, the amount of effort and expansion that has been placed intoHalo’s legacy collection is arguably unparalleled in the modern gaming space. Even with the critical highs ofHalo: InfiniteandHalo Wars 2, the timelessness ofThe Master Chief Collectionand its commitment to upholding the series' past is arguably 343 Industries' greatest achievement.
