[b][i][u]RANT INCOMING YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED[/u][/i][/b] [url=https://youtu.be/9p0mAEYZ9ls?si=vo9ZCWScTtiLuzDe]Video to #FreeHaloFromMicrosoft[/url] I feel like it should be noticed and emphasized how much Microsoft has screwed over Xbox fans and the gaming studios for the last 20 years. Sure don’t get me wrong, the Xbox team has made things accessible and innovative for the mainstream audience like backwards compatibility, crossplay, and tech for disabled gamers. Just their business model since 2020 has been controversy and hiring studios only to close them down if they succeed or not is not the best practice. Phil Spencer, boy oh boy, does everybody HATE this guy. He may seem like a grounded guy but his leadership decisions and role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming leads to a huge PR disaster. Not sure if the guy is a synth or what not. Sarah Bond seems to be also the culprit as well with Matt Booty. Basically these leaders in the Xbox department have caused nothing but set back after set back with games and studios. Remember when Hi-Fi Rush shadow dropped in 2023 and it was a huge success? Guess Microsoft didn’t like that and the next year they shut down Tango Gameworks. Fortunately they got bought but another publishing company and have their IPs. Arkane Studios also suffered the same fate except it was worse with Redfall. Anyway not to go on a long tangent, let’s dissect at Halo’s relationship with Microsoft. In 1999 Bungie was bought by Apple to showcase their project Halo at MacWorld. It captivated audiences. Then a year later Bungie was bought by Microsoft for their brand the Xbox. So they had to crunch development on Halo CE to release in November 2001. Then Halo 2’s development was hell because MS wanted another sequel within their contract. We all know how that happened. Halo 3 was quite the breeze as well as ODST. Microsoft tasked Ensemble Studios to make Halo Wars borrowing the license of Halo from Bungie to make an original story, cast, gameplay, and setting. After Halo Wars was done, the studio shut down. Reach was the last game in Bungie’s contract before they left for Activision to make Destiny. Thus the torch was passed to 343 Industries, a small subsidiary team created BY Microsoft to handle the marketing of Halo. They had to contract Halo CEA to Saber Interactive. Then Halo 4 was quite developed well under 343, don’t let False Blitz or any -blam!- tell you that MS hired people who “hated” Halo. That’s such an exaggerated story. Anyway, when Halo MCC/5 was planned it was quite the trouble and rough development. Again, this was all under Microsoft wanting more of the series. Halo Infinite’s was basically Halo 2’s development but ten fold because of MS’s dumb 16 month contracts, COVID, remote working, and the leadership between Frank O’Connor, Bonnie Ross, and Kiki Wolfkill. What we got was a semi-average game but it was live service because MS wanted a “10 year plan” with Infinite. That quickly backfired. Not to see the game is bad or anything but it was quite the rollercoaster. If you could tell a pattern, every entry or major development under MS for Halo has either been a crunch hellish development or a case of bad management. On July 2, 2025, Microsoft fired 9,000 employees in the gaming department. Guess what? 5 of those was from Halo Studios and there supposedly is an article or something discussing how things were tensed at the company. This was solely caused by Microsoft’s inept attitude of the company and management. Let’s discern again what’s the probelm: [u]it’s not Halo Studios’ problem with development on Halo[/u], [i]it is Microsoft.[/i] It always has been Microsoft since [b]2001[/b]. A thorn on the side.