Nuked Hey there, my tech-loving followers! It’s your funny guy Nuked here, ready to dive into a topic that has unintentionally brought some laughter into my day. We’re talking about Halo’s Black History Month armor shaders, and let me tell you, they are hilariously unexpected.
Halo, like many other video game companies during this special time of year, tries to showcase its inclusivity by offering Black/African-themed in-game cosmetics and messages of appreciation. In this case, they have created a set of armor shaders that incorporate colors and patterns associated with African art and culture. Now, don’t get me wrong, the concept itself is pretty cool. Who doesn’t love zhuzhing up their armor with individual cosmetics? But the way 343 Industries put all these pieces together is just too funny to ignore.
It’s as if 343 Industries wants to shout from the rooftops, “Hey, we’re Black too! And we’re really, really Black!” These shaders feature bold green, gold, and maroon colors that are commonly found in African country flags. The patterns used also resemble kente cloth, a traditional African textile. In short, these armor shaders are undeniably Black AF.
Now, most of the time when video game companies try to appeal to their Black consumers, it ranges from useless to harmless. But what 343 Industries has done here leaves me… well, bewildered is the best word for it. These campaigns are all well-intentioned, but they lose their meaning if the people behind them don’t include the very people they are supposed to reach.
Let’s take a look at the numbers. According to the Game Developers Conference’s 2024 industry survey, only 3 percent of the roughly 3,000 participants identified as Black. And if we focus on those with 20 or more years of experience, the kind of people who have the power to approve marketing materials like this, only 6 percent were Black men and none were Black women. These statistics are disheartening, to say the least.
Now, I don’t have access to Microsoft’s diversity, equity, and inclusion report broken down by sector, so I can’t tell you how many Black employees work at Xbox or its game studios. It’s possible that 343 Industries consulted their Black employees on this specific marketing piece, especially considering that Pierre Hintze, the first Black studio head in Halo franchise history, is Black himself. But still, it pains me to see this.
It reminds me of a scene from The Boys season 3 where A-Train, the only Black member of The Seven (the show’s version of The Avengers), gets a new African-themed super suit to gain the approval of Black people and boost his own popularity. It’s all about corporate interests and the bottom line. But unlike in The Boys, I don’t believe there is any malice behind what 343 Industries has done here.
I wonder if, taken individually, these shaders were deemed appropriate and someone in the art department simply decided to showcase them all at once, resulting in this unintentionally hilarious amalgamation. Or perhaps the Black people involved in the approval process thought it was fine. Sometimes art created by Black individuals for other Black individuals can miss the mark, just like we’ve seen with certain reviews for The American Society of Magical Negroes.
Who knows? Maybe this is all just an elaborate joke or a Halo-ified version of a popular meme format on Black Twitter. You know, where we put a kufi on everyone from The Vision to Ed from Ed, Edd, and Eddy. Regardless of how or why it happened, one thing is for sure: I couldn’t help but laugh.
So, what are your thoughts on Halo’s Black History Month armor shaders? Let me know in the comments below!
