See I don’t know if that can happen because right now there’s a hiring freeze that Microsoft has put in place. That means they don’t want to have more people getting paid to work on stuff which I think means they probably won’t contract out work either.
A hiring freeze means that they have simply stopped sending out applications for workers to be added to 343i’s roster.
It does not mean that they still cannot request aid from contract companies like 343 has done for literally their entire time as a development studio.
- Saber Interactive
- Certain Affinity
- Liquid Development
- Airborne Studios
- SkyBox Labs
Just a few examples of companies that 343 had hired to haul some heavy work needed to be done or just smalltime work such as assisting by making character models.
If 343 were to contract Liquid Development and Airborne Studios once more to make multiplayer cosmetics, they would have a whole lineup of unlockable content lined up for a couple years as 343i drafts up concept art and the third-party devs make the renders.
Plus Certain Affinity and Saber Interactive can be possibly contracted to help with making maps and topography for the development of story chapters and multiplayer arenas.
But currently it’s projected that there will be a decrease in video game entertainment interest. This is one of the reasons why Microsoft has put in place a hiring freeze. They don’t want to spend a lot of money right now. So I don’t think they’re going to contract out any work because that means spending more money.
I get what you’re saying, but I just don’t see Microsoft willing to spend more money on infinite specifically.
I find that like shooting yourself in the foot.
Halo and Master Chief are the mascot of Xbox. The icon of the console.
Sure, Microsoft has spent a LOTTA dough in the past couple of years, especially considering that Halo Infinite had a reported budget of $500 Million and they bought out Activision-Blizzard.
But you gotta be willing to spend a little money to make some money.
Having a contracted studio mass-produce good-looking cosmetics and then having them available in the Battle-pass and Store of Infinite would greatly boost profits.
Same goes with reworking the shop so that repeat items stop rotating into it and instead just have the shop be more akin to that of Rainbow Six: Sieges; where ALL bundles are present at all times.