Hey everyone, I’ve been hearing some concerning rumors that 343 Industries is actually hiring some developers from Firewalk Studios, particularly relating to their game Concord. Can anyone clarify if this is true? Normally I’d think this could be a good move, but Concord was such a massive flop—not even many people played it during its free beta. How could this possibly be a good idea for the next Halo game, especially since Halo Infinite felt like it was already the last shot for 343? With so much competition in the gaming scene and the risk of losing the fanbase over potential controversies, I just hope the new game sticks to traditional Halo values without injecting unnecessary politics or divisive themes into the narrative. I want to be immersed in a fun game, not reminded of real-world issues. What’s the general vibe around this rumor?
3 Answers
Yeah, it sounds like she only worked on the marketing aspect. She had a solid run with Call of Duty, but that’s about the extent of her influence. People are really jumping to conclusions about directing the storyline or gameplay when in reality she’s not involved with that.
You mentioned politics, and while I’m with you on wanting to keep that out of our games, we need to acknowledge that Halo has always had its share of themes influenced by real-world issues. It’s a part of storytelling, even if we don’t always agree with it. I think there’s a distinction between abstract political themes in the game’s universe and the kind of real-life issues you’re concerned about.
From what I’ve gathered, they did hire a member from the marketing team who used to work at Activision. However, she doesn’t really have a role in the game’s actual development. The complaints about Concord were mainly about its art style and character design, not the marketing. So, there seems to be a misunderstanding here about her hiring leading to concerns over the game’s quality or political agendas. It might not be as big a deal as everyone thinks!
Totally! It feels different when you’re dealing with fictional worlds. Look at Gears of War; it’s all about combat but still has themes that can be interpreted in various ways. It’s not the same as shoving real-world politics down our throats!