343 Industries: Difference between revisions

343 Industries (edit)

Revision as of 04:32, February 27, 2017

1,576 bytes added , 7 years ago

no edit summary

Tacitus

Bureaucrats, Administrators

35,264

edits

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 '''343 Industries''', commonly shortened to '''343i''' or '''343''', is a subsidiary of [[Microsoft Studios]] located in [[Wikipedia:Kirkland, Washington|Kirkland, Washington]]. It is tasked with overseeing the [[Halo|''Halo'' franchise]] and creating new properties for the series. The team's name is a reference to [[343 Guilty Spark]], the [[monitor]] of [[Installation 04]].
-== Background ==
+== History ==
 === Origin ===
 Before the formation of 343 Industries in 2007, the [[Microsoft Game Studios]] Franchise Development Group (MGSFDG) was responsible for expanding Microsoft's video game franchises. A prominent example of their contribution in the ''Halo'' franchise would be their book publication arrangement with publishers [[Ballantine Books]] and [[Tor Books]] which published a number of [[Halo novels|''Halo'' novels]] over the years.<ref name="misguided-fans">[[Xbox.com/Halo|'''Halo: Combat Evolved''' portal page]]: [[User:Subtank/Archive|''MGS Development Group Expands'']] (archived page)</ref><ref name="nylund2001">[http://halo.bungie.org/misc/nylund.interview.html '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Interview with Eric Nylund'']</ref>
@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' was the first ''Halo'' release on the [[Xbox One]] console, marking the onset of a phase of the series known as ''"The Journey"''. This multimedia project would encompass a number of works, including the digital series ''[[Halo: Nightfall]]'', which would tie into the next major game in the series, ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''.<ref name="eurogamer">[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-06-16-343s-master-plan-for-halo-5-guardians '''Eurogamer''': ''343's master plan for Halo 5: Guardians'']</ref> The [[Halo Channel]] was introduced as a next-generation replacement for [[Halo Waypoint]] on the Xbox One,<ref>[https://blogs.halowaypoint.com/en-us/blogs/headlines/posts/halo-channel-revealed-at-gamescom '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Halo Channel Revealed at Gamescom'']</ref> while ''[[Halo: The Television Series]]'' remains in development.<ref name="eurogamer"/>
-== Media interconnectivity ==
+== Universe development and storytelling ==
-Although ''Halo'' "expanded universe" fiction has always shared the same continuity as the games, under [[Bungie]]'s watch material from outside the games was generally regarded as ancillary and was rarely intertwined with the games in a significant way; references to the [[Halo novels|novels]], for instance, rarely amounted to more than throwaway lines. An effort was made to keep different pieces of media as their own, self-contained "bubbles," so that they would not have a significant impact on other stories. For example, Frank O'Connor stated that the story of ''[[Halo Wars]]'' effectively exists in a bubble, having little bearing on the ''Halo'' story at large. According to O'Connor, this approach was "safer" from a development perspective, but it made many pieces of fiction seem extraneous or "disposable," as they had no crucial impact on one another.<ref name="expanded">[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/05/10/the-future-of-halo-wars-and-halo-39-s-expanded-universe.aspx '''Game Informer''': ''The Future Of Halo Wars And Halo's Expanded Universe'']</ref>
+Although ''Halo'' "expanded universe" fiction has always shared the same continuity as the games, under [[Bungie]]'s watch material from outside the games was generally regarded as ancillary and was rarely intertwined with the games in a significant way; references to the [[Halo novels|novels]], for instance, rarely amounted to more than throwaway lines. This was in part due to a disconnect between Bungie and Microsoft's Franchise Development Group, who were largely responsible for the creation of secondary media at the time.<ref>[http://scifishow.libsyn.com/005-dc-reboot-trautmann-interview-round-2-of-our-quiz '''The Sci Fi Show''': ''Episode 005: DC Reboot/Eric Trautmann'']</ref> An effort was made to keep different pieces of media as their own, self-contained "bubbles," so that they would not have a significant impact on other stories. For example, Frank O'Connor stated that the story of ''[[Halo Wars]]'' effectively exists in a bubble, having little bearing on the ''Halo'' story at large. According to O'Connor, this approach was "safer" from a development perspective, but it made many pieces of fiction seem extraneous or "disposable," as they had no crucial impact on one another.<ref name="expanded">[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/05/10/the-future-of-halo-wars-and-halo-39-s-expanded-universe.aspx '''Game Informer''': ''The Future Of Halo Wars And Halo's Expanded Universe'']</ref>
-Circa 2008, however, 343 Industries adopted a new approach, deciding that all future media they released would be fictionally interconnected. This included further integrating the fiction of the games and the novels into a seamless whole, with different pieces of media complementing one another in a meaningful way. Even though the main game series is still the primary focus of the studio, all other fiction has been stated to have a resonant impact on the games' stories in a way unlike before. For example, the novels of the ''[[Kilo-Five Trilogy]]'' and ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]'' have direct connections to the story of ''Halo 4'' and the subsequent games.<ref name="expanded"/>
+Circa 2008, however, 343 Industries decided that all future media they released would be more [[Wikipedia:Transmedia storytelling|heavily interconnected]]. This included further integrating the fiction of the games and the novels into a seamless whole, with different pieces of media complementing one another in meaningful ways. Even though the main game series is still the primary focus of the studio, all other fiction has been stated to have a resonant impact on the games' stories in a way unlike before. For example, the novels of the ''[[Kilo-Five Trilogy]]'' and ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]'' have direct connections to the story of ''Halo 4''.<ref name="expanded"/> 343i also sought to establish more characters to tell stories with in different parts of the ''Halo'' universe, with studio head [[Bonnie Ross]] stating that the previous approach of killing characters at the end of games made it more difficult to tell connected stories.<ref name="dice summit">[https://youtu.be/h_7M93WRFng?t=1h25m '''YouTube''' - ''D.I.C.E Summit 2017 (Day 2) - IGN Live (presentation by Bonnie Ross)'']</ref>
+By 2016, 343 Industries had come to deem the stories of their past games overly complex and decided that in the future, the ''Halo'' games would have "simpler" narratives while secondary media would be used to tell deeper stories,<ref name="dice summit"/> with individual narratives being kept in their own "swimlanes".<ref>[https://twitter.com/GrimBrotherOne/status/834858001433403393 '''Twitter''': ''GrimBrotherOne'']</ref> According to Bonnie Ross, ''"while we love our transmedia, sometimes I do think we do tell a little bit too much story in our games; you know when you have a gun and then you have aliens shooting at you, it is kind of hard to digest a lot of story."'' Ross cited ''[[Halo Wars 2]]'' as an example of a game story that followed the studio's new approach.<ref name="dice summit"/>
+==Studio mythos==
+Industries has built up a mythos of in-jokes related to [[Unicorns]], which is referenced in the background of the [[FOTUS]] armor permutation. There is also a tongue-in-cheek in-universe counterpart of the studio itself, named the "[[434 Combat Readiness Lab]]".<ref name="Page 9">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2964800_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2964800 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction'' (post 2964800)]</ref><ref>[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2988810_Official-Halo--Nightfall-DISCUSSION.aspx#post2988810 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Official Halo: Nightfall DISCUSSION'' (post 2988810)]</ref> 343 Industries also has a in-universe company with the [[343 Industries (manufacturer)|same name]].
 ==Projects==
@@ Line 138: / Line 143: @@
 *Che Chou - Studio Producer.<ref>[http://www.linkedin.com/pub/che-chou/4/a91/133 '''LinkedIn''': ''Che Chou'']</ref> Left on September 30, 2016.<ref>[https://twitter.com/chespace/status/781942937034776577 '''Twitter''' - ''Che Chou'']</ref>
 *[[Morgan Lockhart]] - Narrative Designer<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/halo-community-update-7-7-15 '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Halo Community Update 7.7.15'']</ref> Left on November 2016.
-==Trivia==
-Industries has built up a mythos of in-jokes related to [[Unicorns]], which is referenced in the background of the [[FOTUS]] armor permutation. There is also a tongue-in-cheek in-universe counterpart of the studio itself, named the "[[434 Combat Readiness Lab]]".<ref name="Page 9">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2964800_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2964800 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction'' (post 2964800)]</ref><ref>[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2988810_Official-Halo--Nightfall-DISCUSSION.aspx#post2988810 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Official Halo: Nightfall DISCUSSION'' (post 2988810)]</ref> 343 Industries also has a in-universe company with the [[343 Industries (manufacturer)|same name]].
 ==Sources==
 {{reflist|2}}
 [[Category:Companies]]