It’s been a long time coming for Halo: Infinite, which finally released today. We’re also getting details as to what happened behind the scenes at 343 Industies per reporting from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
Schreier’s reporting details issues that cropped up during development. Halo: Infinite uses an an engine based on old code that is still around from Bungie. Within the engine is a set of tools called Faber, which “became infamous at the studio for being buggy and difficult to use.” The issues are further detailed as follows:
Within engineering, there’s a concept known as “tech debt,” which refers to problems one puts up with because the previous programmers of a system chose quick, easy solutions over more sustainable ones. Faber’s code, some of which dated to the early 2000s, had so much debt that some 343 engineers mockingly referred to its “tech bankruptcy.”
Source: Bloomberg
Issues with staffing at the developer studio also contributed to issues per the report. Almost half of the staff was made up of contract workers. Microsoft, the owner of 343 Industries, restricts contractors from staying in their current jobs for over 18 months. This led to a natural stream of attrition throughout the development timeline.
In addition, details of what was cut from Halo: Infinite were also divulged. Approximately two-thirds of the entire game was cut, including the open world. Inspiration from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was drawn in a comparison made between Infinite and the Switch launch title, but the scope was cut back.
Some of the known cut items of content include co-op gameplay, Forge mode, and level selection.
Our thoughts on the current state of Halo: Infinite’s multiplayer are available here. We’ll be updating as we progress more through the campaign. The review of the single-player game is coming shortly.
