Halo veteran Joseph Staten to leave 343 Industries
But will remain at Microsoft.
Joeseph Staten, veteran of Halo development at both Bungie and 343 Industries, is reportedly departing Microsoft's blockbuster space shooter franchise once again.
Staten will remain at Microsoft but is no longer at its Halo studio 343 Industries, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier stated last night, after joining the company to ensure the beleaguered Halo Infinite made it out the door.
Last night, reports indicated that Microsoft's enormous round of layoffs would impact several Xbox studios, with 343's Halo Infinite campaign team in particular "hit hard", according to Schreier.
Halo Infinite officially launched a year late in December 2021 to a generally positive response, though the game has subsequently struggled to keep fans satisfied.
There's been no word on future campaign content for the game - and last night's news only begs further questions over Halo Infinite's future.
Staten worked on the original Halo trilogy at Bungie and subsequently helped further develop the narrative of the franchise. While at Bungie, he also helped work on Destiny - though departed in 2013, a year before the game was ultimately released.
Six months later, Staten resurfaced at Xbox Game Studios in a senior role, contributing writing work to ReCore and Crackdown 3, before joining the Halo Infinite team in 2020 as it became clear that project could no longer launch alongside the Xbox Series X/S.
Staten's current job title at 343 Industries is Head of Creative for Halo Infinite. It's not currently clear what role Staten will fill for Microsoft next.