The bloodletting at Halo developer 343 Industries continues. Now a next executive has announced that he is leaving the studio and no longer working on the Halo series.
Longtime Xbox developer and Head or Creative of the current Halo Infinite, Joseph Staten has confirmed that he is leaving the Microsoft family entirely to pursue a new adventure. He’s another prominent developer from 343 Industries to leave the studio, leaving a huge void.
The release of Halo Infinite was previously repeatedly delayed and far from problem-free. Even today, fans of the franchise are sometimes not entirely satisfied with the current state of the game.
It certainly didn’t help that 343 Industries was repeatedly exposed to important staff departures. Over the past year, several high-level employees have left the studio, including multiplayer creative director Tom French, design lead Jerry Hook, and lead developer David Berger. And now, sadly, Staten is continuing that string of high-profile departures.
Hey folks, I am indeed leaving Microsoft. I’ll have more info to share soon, but for now, I’d just like to thank all my @Xbox colleagues for all their understanding and support as I embark on a new adventure. https://t.co/oMR0LXOzZb
— Joseph Staten (@joestaten) April 8, 2023
While Staten himself confirms his departure from his role as Head of Creative and more generally at Microsoft, he leaves open where he will be drawn to in the future; this is not yet known, but he intends to submit the relevant information soon. For the moment, he primarily thanked his Xbox colleagues.
That’s not a good thing for the Halo series, which has had Staten involved for a long time. He was still cinematic director on Halo: Combat Evolved – a role he also filled in the first two sequels. He later joined the Destiny franchise as lead writer before leaving Bungie and returning to Microsoft as senior creative director. As such, he worked on games like ReCore and Crackdown 3. Staten came full circle when he joined the Halo Infinite team as Campaign Project Lead, where he was later promoted to Head of Creative.
On March 7th, Halo Infinite begins its third season called “Echoes Within”; in advance there is already the associated launch trailer for you.
