Brian Jarrard, Community Director at 343 Industries, replies to the current outrage.
Brian Jarrard, Community Director at 343 Industries, has issued a comment on Reddit on the playlist and toxicity issues in Halo Infinite. Jarrard acknowledged that many of the community’s issues were justified, but urged gamers to use discretion and caution in their complaints to the firm.
“I understand and generally agree with the emotions most people are expressing, even if I disagree with the attacks and methods some people choose to vent those frustrations,” Jarrard added. “It’s my responsibility to come in here, listen, franky take it on the chin, and guarantee that we are advocating for players internally, despite personally being quite put off by the manner many are expressing themselves.” We do it regardless of whether it is positive or negative, and we will continue to do so.”
“Please take a breath,” Jarrard said, and “remember there are individuals behind this who have dedicated years of their lives to making the finest experiences they can.”
Within the Halo Infinite community, there has been a problem. The multiplayer, in general, and the advancement system, in particular, have been criticized by players. The game’s developer has acknowledged these flaws and has already begun working on fixes. This hasn’t stopped the community’s ongoing dispute from devolving to the point where moderators have been compelled to put the relevant subreddit on lockdown.
“The amount of toxicity on the sub from both sides has made it impossible for users to conduct respectful talks, which is what the mod team aspires for regardless of ideology,” a moderator said. Doxxing and death threats have been perpetrated by certain individuals on the sub. We’re putting the sub on lockdown for the time being so that things can calm down and we can hit the reset button before the launch. After all, this is a video game, and the level of hostility is uncalled for. We’ll be reopening on Monday, so take the weekend off.”
Jarrard expressed regret about the lack of playlists, the “not ideal” challenge system, and the free-to-play marketing strategy. Jarrard said that “we’re still having discussions around feasibility” when it comes to playlists, admitting that it “needs a lot of work,” but that the challenge system is “something the team is acutely aware of and prioritizing.” When it comes to the free-to-play monetization plan, he said that “battlepass and premium customization is the model for this game today.” Is it possible to continue evaluating the overall economy and player value? Absolutely, and it’s something the team is always keeping an eye on and learning about.”
“It’s just not as simple as ‘pressing a button,’ and given the game’s magnitude and complexity, any modification might have a massive negative impact without significant testing.” The team is already addressing these feedback concerns and determining “what can we do now,” and will continue to do so. Everything must be put to the test. There are downstream dependencies and knock-on repercussions in everything.”
The community’s reaction to this announcement has been divided. Others have remained hostile, despite the fact that some have been gratified. There were a lot of doubts regarding whether the multiplayer was even ready for release.
“We’re going to do what we can as soon as we can,” Jarrard stated. If today’s events do not fulfill your expectations, I apologize for the disappointment. “We’re four days from a global launch with holidays right following,” he said, adding, “I’m convinced this game will continue to become better and better, and all of these flaws are fixable.” Players will, in other words, need to be patient.