Nothing is going well for 343 Industries. Following the departure of a mastermind of the series and boss of the studio, Halo Infinite loses another absolutely key member in the development of the game.
While the restructuring of 343 Industries will certainly end up doing the studio some good in the long run, for now, all that can be seen is the loss of key employees.
No one left to take care of Halo Infinite’s engine?
David Berger, director of engineering, is expected to announce his departure from 343 Industries according to sources at Lords of Gaming and Windows Central (via VGC). Berger had been in his role for more than 14 years and spent more than 20 years at Microsoft. During his time at 343 Industries, he trained its technical team and brought out Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo Infinite.
Given the nature of his work, he also contributed to the Slipspace engine, the engine of the last episode, for better or for worse. His departure, if confirmed, must be related to the difficulties encountered by the studio even today. In 2020, Chris Lee, head of development, also decided to leave the company. Recently, it was Bonnie Ross, in charge of 343 Industries, who packed up. Even if here again the chaotic development had to play, she specified in her press release that her decision was motivated by the need to take care of a “family medical problem”.
Losing so many major elements, while the game must recover to be supplied with content, is not necessarily a good sign. Maybe to wait, Microsoft will let other Xbox studios come to the aid of 343 Industries? After all, they have several FPS specialists like Call of Duty teams or Bethesda games.