343 Industries is an incredibly fascinating developer. After all, the studio was created with the sole purpose of shepherding Microsoft's most prized and important franchise, Halo. Bungie birthed the epic sci-fi FPS franchise back on the original Xbox and brought it to astronomical levels of success for an entire decade. However, when the team finally decided to move on to something new, Microsoft needed to fill that gaping first-party development hole left in its wake, and thus, 343 Industries was born.
Big Shoes to Fill
Following the departure of Bungie, 343 Industries had the impossible task of satisfying die-hard Halo fans who were salivating for a proper follow-up to Halo 3. The folks over at 343i stepped up to the plate and took a swing with Halo 4, and for the most part the team did a solid job. While the game took the series in some controversial new directions, especially in terms of multiplayer, it served up an incredible campaign and some of the best visuals ever to grace the Xbox 360.
Sadly, however, the franchise simply hasn't been able to compete with the likes of Call of Duty, as its online player base has dwindled over the years. The online community for Halo 4 isn't nearly as robust as it was in the earlier days of the franchise, as the first-person shooter market has continued to grow and become more competitive. As such, many criticize Halo 4 for its inability to recapture the hardcore FPS crowd, but that hasn't stopped 343i from pushing forward, bringing Master Chief into the new hardware generation.
Remembering the Past
In response to the outcry from fans who wanted a return to Halo's roots, 343i undertook an ambitious project in creating one of the most ambitious collections of all time. Halo: The Master Chief Collection not only bundles together all four mainline Halo campaigns and a remade version of Halo 2 (complete with redone cinematics crafted by Blur), it also includes every single multiplayer map, along with online support. Oh, and if that weren't enough, six of Halo 2's most beloved multiplayer maps were rebuilt from the ground up, all while staying true to the original design. Did I mention it also includes an episodic live-action series that ties into Halo 5 as well as access to the next entry's multiplayer beta?
Unfortunately, however, the project was a bit too ambitious for its own good and suffered an incredibly rough launch. In fact, 343i is actually still slaving away right now to fix the game's broken online experience. That said, the studio is committed to making things right, and will be releasing Halo 3: ODST as well as another remade classic Halo 2 map later this year for early adopters.
Embracing the Future
2015 is going to be a huge year for 343 Industries, as the studio plans to release Halo 5: Guardians, the first full-fledged original Halo title for Xbox One. In preparation, 343i has already released a public beta to see what the community thinks of the multiplayer experience thus far. We're still many, many months away from the game's release, so seeing a public beta this early on is evidence that 343 Industries is committed to making the best possible Halo experience it can for Xbox One owners.
Will Halo 5 deliver on the lofty expectations of the studio's dedicated fan base? It's going to be one heck of a challenge, but I'm confident in saying 343i isn't cutting any corners when it comes to shaping the future of Microsoft's prized franchise. If you're a fan of Master Chief and his past adventures, you can't afford to miss out on what 343 Industries plans.
