343 Industries has released a palette nameplate named after the “bonobo” in Halo: Infinite to commemorate the annual U.S. Emancipation Day (also known as Juneteenth) on June 19. ). After Reddit user Smissmass questioned it, the issue quickly fermented online, and officials renamed it “Freedom” later in the day.
Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, tweeted that the studio was told the Juneteenth logo’s palette nameplate option contained an offensive and hurtful word. The team immediately resolved the issue with an update. Bonnie Ross emphasized that 343 is a studio committed to inclusivity, welcoming and supporting everyone to be who they are. She will represent 343, apologizing for turning this celebratory moment into a hurtful one.
We were made aware of a palette option for our Juneteenth emblem that contained a term that was offensive and hurtful. The team immediately addressed this issue via an update. (1/2)
— Bonnie Ross (@PlutonForEver) June 15, 2022
Bonnie Ross didn’t explain how the palette nameplate came together with the name in the first place, or what 343 would do to prevent something similar from happening in the future. John Junyszek, senior community manager at 343 Industries, gave a slightly more explanation, telling a Twitter user that while the original name came from an internal software toolset, it wasn’t intended to apply this to games, the team said. Recognize the harm it can cause. The palette nameplate was incorrectly named and they immediately renamed it with an update.
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