The Halo Infinite developers made a significant error this afternoon with the release of in-game content to commemorate Juneteenth, adding an event-branded nameplate to the store that carried an offensive title.
Players called for the correction of the name and 343 Industries quickly changed it, though many Halo fans have been left wondering how it got through in the first place.
In the month of June, many popular games have featured content celebrating Pride month and Juneteenth, and Halo Infinite is no exception. On June 1, Halo announced both a Pride nameplate for use in-game as well as a Pride apparel collection, available in the Xbox Gear Shop.
However, it is 343’s tribute to the Juneteenth holiday that has caused quite a controversy: The nameplate cosmetic for the holiday on June 19 was originally titled “Bonobo,” which is a species of great ape. Players immediately went to Twitter to call out the inappropriately titled cosmetic.
The banner, which features a black, red, and green striped design with golden birds flying in front of it, was an attempt to commemorate the now federally-recognized holiday in the United States. The color scheme references the Pan-African flag, which many people in the Black community have adopted as a symbol of Juneteenth.
So to celebrate an African-American holiday you name the new emblem after an APE?! Disappointed isn't even the word to use here, but to have blatant racism on an important holiday is just spitting in black peoples faces. Get your shit together in your studio and do better @Halo
— OpTic a🅿️G (@aPureGangster) June 14, 2022
Despite the attempt at a respectful nameplate design, the name of the Halo Infinite cosmetic in-game completely takes away anything that it had going for it.
“This needs to be removed and an apology needs to be issued immediately,” said HaloHub in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon.
🚨Utterly disgraceful?
— HaloHub (Follow for Halo News & More) (@HaloHubGG) June 14, 2022
The nameplate added to #Halo #HaloInfinite for Juneteenth (which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans) is named "Bonobo" which is a type of great ape. This needs to be removed and an apology needs to be issued immediately.
Some fans asserted the title of “Bonobo” didn’t actually apply to the nameplate itself, but instead to the black, red, green, and gold color scheme.
Just want to add some clarification to this. The Nameplate/Emblem itself has been called Juneteenth since the start of Season 2 in the API. It's the Emblem Palette (the color scheme) that was called Bonobo until just a few minutes ago, when it was changed to Freedom.
— Cizlin Cizliano (@TheRealCizlin) June 14, 2022
Either way, 343 quickly changed the name of the color palette to “Freedom,” and the nameplate now has the name “Juneteenth.” John Junyszek, a Senior Community Manager at 343, stated the original name “was not intended to be applied to this content.”
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Sean. We strive to create diverse and inclusive gaming communities. While the original name refers to an internal toolset, it was not intended to be applied to this content and we recognize the harm it may have caused. (1/2)
— John Junyszek (@Unyshek) June 14, 2022
The name may have been changed quickly, but Halo Infinite players will not forget the title of the nameplate at release. The original racist name is not acceptable and further paints a picture of gaming as a space that is not inclusive.
