Halo studio Infinite Design Head stops its first game project

Former Infinite Halo head of design Jerry Hook announced that his proprietary developer Jar of Sparks under NetEase has discontinued development of his first game project. Hook left 343 Industries and Microsoft in 2022, and the veteran's subsequent efforts with Jar of Sparks and NetEase have been labeled “the next generation of narrative-driven action games.” Hearing little from the studio since its founding is rarely a good sign, and now it's been confirmed that the studio is looking for a new publishing partner.

NetEase is a Chinese technology company founded by Ding Lei in 1997 and provides online games for PC and mobile devices, as well as advertising and e-commerce services in China, as well as being one of the largest video game companies in the world. NetEase currently supports its live service titles Once human and the hero shooter released in December 2024 Rivals of wonder. After a spectacular launch, Rivals of wonder recently announced the Season 1 Battle Pass skins, and NetEase is also preparing for the early arrival of the Fantastic Four in the 6v6 PvP title coming January 10th.

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Posting on LinkedIn, Hook confirmed that the Jar of Sparks team would be pausing work on the current title while they search for a new publisher. The team is looking for a partner who can “help us bring our creative vision to life.” The first Infinite Halo The developers formed Jar of Sparks in 2022, and Hook noted that since its launch, the team has taken “bold risks and pushed the boundaries… to create something truly new and exciting for the industry.” Hook also wrote how proud he was of the groundwork laid.

NetEase's Jar of Sparks Studio stops development of first game project

The layoffs were not specifically mentioned in Hook's post, but the boss stressed that the next step would involve members of the studio's team “exploring new opportunities.” Additionally, a separate post from Hook confirmed that the studio will be working to “find new homes for our entire team as we close out our first project” in the coming weeks. This is not the first time that a veteran of a major video game franchise has announced a new studio with NetEase, like the previous one Resident Evil producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi had previously formed GPTRACK50 Studios in 2022 under the publisher.

THE Halo The series, Hook's old stomping ground, has had a turbulent few years Infinite halopost-launch support from and Paramount+'s live-action series that fans have marked below average. While Jar of Sparks takes a temporary hiatus from project development, the Halo the franchise may be on the verge of redemption following the rebranding of 343 Industries to Halo Studios, and this restructuring with future titles built on Unreal Engine could be the change that gives the franchise new wings.

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NetEase Games

Under the umbrella of NetEase, Inc., NetEase Games is a Chinese developer and publisher that has worked on games such as Naraka: Bladepoint, Once Human, Marvel Rivals, and Diablo Immortal.

Founding date

1997-06

Site

Hangzhou, China

CEO

Ding Lei

Parent company

NetEase, Inc.